I Reject It
by mtnetwarrior
Summary: Sequel to If This Be Godhood. Kira is back... But it's not Light Yagami. The Inaba Investigation Team joins forces with L when a new Kira rises. Can Light fight back against his own demons? Or is this Kira fated to succeed where Light failed? Rated M for language and mature themes.
1. Chapter 1: Rebirth

**In my last story, If This Be Godhood, I stripped Light Yagami of the Death Note via a dream sequence and gave him the power of Persona. But the Death Note has still dropped into the human world and someone new has picked it up. Thus this sequel, I Reject It, picks up where the last one left off. I'm going to start this off with my game plan for the story. You may remember in my last story how all the chapters were named for the Major Arcana, meaning that there would be twenty-two chapters (making some chapters longer than others). The chapters in this story will be named after episodes of the Death Note anime (that means there will be thirty-seven chapters total). Now since Light is no longer Kira, I've taken the liberty of interjecting an original character of my own design, based off certain events from the anime. He'll have the same mindset as Light, more or less, to facilitate him attempting to reign as the god of a new world. I'll be using specific quotations to indicate certain things:**

"Ordinary talking"

_'Character is thinking'_

'Character is using a phone'

"_Character is on TV"_

"**Shinigami is talking"**

_**'Shinigami is thinking'**_

"**Character is using a voice filter**"

**Naturally during the course of this story there will be some different events, most of them caused by Light being accompanied by his friends from Inaba. I plan on being a bit more descriptive when first introducing a character so people get a better idea of what they look like (might give me more views, who knows). I do not, however, plan on altering my writing style. It's how I do things. I've also decided to replace the "last time/next time" bits with "Death Note: how to use it" segments, two per chapter as shown in the anime episode of the same name. As a reminder, the pairing withing the Investigation Team are Yu/Yukiko, Light/Rise, Yosuke/Chie, Kanji/Naoto, and Teddie/Labrys. Finally, I would like to remind everyone that do not own anything from either Death Note or Persona 4, and just to be safe I will be reminding you every chapter. Well, enough exposition, let's get this chuck wagon moving.**

"The human whose name is written in this note shall die."

Chapter 1: Rebirth

The Shinigami Realm. A place wrapped in eternal darkness, littered with nothing but rocks and bones. This world is inhabited by a number of bizarre, albeit humanoid, beings known as the shinigami. Many of these unusual creatures were lounging around, a couple of them snoring. Two of them, however, were engrossed in a small game of sorts. One of them, Deridovely, was a dirty gray color with a mummified body. He had several bandages covering his arms and legs and had bone coverings on his shoulders and face, with thick black hair that stuck out behind him. The other one, Gook, was fully wrapped in bandages. He wore fur coverings on his shoulders and hips with a crest on his stomach. His head resembled an antelope skull with red, piercing eyes.

As their game continued, Gook rubbed his head in frustration. **"What is this? You get a pair of sleeping skulls now?"** Deridovely chuckled. **"Looks I win again Gook. Sorry, better luck next time."** He adjusted the scythe he carried then looked over to another shinigami who was nearby. **"Hey Ryuk, why don't you come join us?"** Ryuk was covered up to his shoulders in a black, leather-like suit with tufts of fur on his shoulders. His head and neck had the appearance of being haphazardly stitched to his shoulders, and was pale white in comparison to the rest of him. His face was almost human-like, with his mouth stretched into a jester-like grin. His eyes were black-rimmed, and his hair was as jet black as his body and stuck straight up.

Ryuk looked over to the other two and said, **"No thanks. I'll pass."** It was easy to tell how bored he was. He looked out upon the desolate landscape and sighed. _**'Everyday, the same useless crap. Even my games with Gook and Deridovely do little to relieve the boredom. There must be some interesting way to pass the time here.'**_ He then got an idea. Getting up, he walked off. **"I'll rejoin you guys in a bit. I think I'll go have a talk with the Old Man."** Deridovely and Gook looked at each other. **"You don't think he's gonna try and trick the Old Man into giving him a second Death Note do you?,"** Deridovely asked. Gook shook head. **"No way. Even Ryuk's not that boneheaded."**

* * *

Daikoku Private Academy, a school like any other in Japan. While most of the students in a philosophy class were talking to each or playing games on hand-held devices, Kisuke Kitamura was listening intently. He was average build and average height, with short auburn hair that was always neat and tidy. Behind his small rimmed reading glasses were a pair of deep green eyes. He wore the usual Daikoku Academy uniform for boys, light brown dress pants and coat, black dress shoes, white dress shirt and red tie. He was rather good looking, and often got more than a few stares from passing ladies. As the teacher continued his lesson, he said, "Light, would you please translate the following sentence into English?"

Kisuke looked behind him to see a rather bored looking individual, his rival Light Yagami. Light wore the same uniform Kisuke did, and had the same build though he was slightly taller. He had light brown hair that was more mopped, though still fairly neat, and had eyes to match. Unlike Kisuke he didn't wear glasses, and was considered to be just as good-looking as Kisuke if not moreso. Light stood up and picked up a copy of the book the teacher had been reading from. In perfect English, Light read, "Follow the teachings of God, and receive his blessings." The other students stared in amazement at Light's performance. The teacher nodded. "Very good Light, not that I'm surprised of course."

Kisuke sighed. _'I'm always coming just second to him. Oh well.'_ As the class ended, Kisuke walked over to Light. "So," he said, "You going to cram school?" Light shook his head. "I promised my girlfriend I'd take her out for dinner." Kisuke looked at him. "Geez, ever since you moved out to the boonies it seems like you slack off more than usual. Yet your grades are as high as ever." "Just because Inaba is a rural community doesn't make it 'the boonies'," Light said, "Besides, living there the past year really taught me a lot." Kisuke had read all about how Light and his friends from Inaba had solved an unusual murder case in that town.

As Kisuke walked outside, he sighed to himself. _'He's dating a popular idol. He's able to keep his grades up no matter how much he slacks off. I'm always just one step behind him. I'm easily as smart as he is and actually pay attention in school. This contest of ours is getting boring, and I'm pretty sure he's not even paying attention to it anymore.'_ As he walked through the academy grounds, he found something that had dropped on the ground. Picking it up, he saw it was a thin black notebook. He noted the words on the front cover. "'Death Note', huh? I wonder what this is about." He opened up the notebook and saw there was more writing inside the front cover. "'The human whose name is written in the notebook shall die'. Is this some sort of prank?" He looked around, then stuffed the notebook into his bag. "I guess it couldn't hurt to take it home and examine it further." And with that, he walked off.

* * *

When Kisuke got home, he examined the writing on the inside cover more closely. "'This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore people sharing the same name will not be affected. If the cause of death is written within the next forty seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next six minutes and forty seconds.' Wow, that's pretty elaborate, even for a prank. So depending on the person you want to kill, you can either do it painlessly or torture them a little."

He leaned back in his chair. _'My curiosity tells me to try it at least once. But, on the off chance this isn't a prank, would that mean I'm now a murderer?'_ He decided to turn on the small TV in his room. _"We're here with a live broadcast outside a local elementary school. Moments ago the teachers and children inside were held hostage at gunpoint by forty-eight-year-old Kurou Otoharada, currently unemployed. No motive has been given yet for his actions and negotiations are expected to begin soon."_ Kisuke put a hand to his chin. "Problems like this crop up all the time. It's like this world is rotting from the inside out." He looked at the picture of Otoharada.

The man looked middle-aged, with signs of wrinkles already appearing. He had dirty brown hair that seemed to cling to his face, and beady black eyes. "Write someone's name while thinking of their face huh?," Kisuke said, "Well, why not a criminal?" He took a pen off his desk and wrote Otoharada's name in the Death Note as it appeared on the screen. After he finished, he kept an eye on the clock. "Thirty-eight, thirty-nine, forty." He then waited, knowing he wouldn't get his answer immediately. After a bit the newsman said, _"Hold on. It... It looks like the hostages are coming out of the building. The special forces are moving in. We presently have no word if the suspect has been captured. Wait... Okay, I've just been informed that the suspect has been found dead. Witnesses are saying the suspect just collapsed on the ground and died."_

Kisuke's eyes widened. "I don't believe it. He really died, and probably from a heart attack." _'Still, considering Otoharada's age, he probably received the heart attack naturally. If I'm gonna know for sure if this Death Note is for real, I need to test the other rules as well. However, I can't just go killing off people left and right. I need to pick my next victim very carefully.'_ He thought for a minute. _'Why not just kill another criminal? But it can't be one that's too well known, or his death will be covered up in the media. I need to see results right away. After cram school I'll walk around town. There's always one or two degenerates preying on innocent civilians at night.'_

* * *

That night, Kisuke walked into a convenience store and waited. He made sure to hide the Death Note in a magazine and pretended to read it, careful to keep it out of view. It didn't take long for a prospective individual to appear. A man riding on a motorcycle appeared in front of a young woman, followed by his gang. The man was dressed in the usual biker gear, with the black leather pants and boots, black shirt, and biker jacket. He wore a bike helmet and black sunglasses as well. He had a slight muscular build but sitting as he was it was difficult to tell his height. His dirty brown hair came down to shoulder length and was rather unkempt, and he had a medium overbite. He eyed the young woman with an animal hunger. "Hey there little lady, why don't you come party with us big boys for a while?"

"That's Taku for you," one of the other gang members said, "He can always spot a hottie a mile away." Taku pulled down his glasses, showing his beady black eyes. "Name's Takuo Shibuimaru. How about you entertain me and my boys tonight?" Kisuke was glad Takuo had said his name out loud. Pulling out a pen, he wrote in the Death Note, "Takuo Shibuimaru, traffic accident. While attempting to assault a young woman, she escapes and dashes across the street. Takuo attempts to give chase, but is run over by a truck before he can reach her and dies instantly." _'Now to wait and watch.'_ It didn't take long. As Takuo tried to restrain the woman and have one of his boys strip her down, she broke free and ran as fast she could. Takuo started his motorcycle to give chase. But before he could finish crossing the street to follow her, a truck came barreling down the street and struck him hard, sending blood and scrap metal flying everywhere.

Kisuke's eyes widened. _'Well that proves it. The Death Note is real. Which means I've just killed two people.'_ He waited until the gang had gone over to check on their dead leader, then ran out of the convenience store and into a nearby ally. _'This all seems so surreal. I really did it. I really killed those men. They were criminals sure, but who am I to judge the lives of others?'_ A heavy rainfall started, and Kisuke started to have an epiphany. _'Or maybe... Maybe I am in the right position to judge these people. When you start thinking about it, this world is full of people who commit these horrible crimes and ruin the lives of honest, hard-working individuals. People filled with hopes and dreams cut down by murderous individuals only out for themselves, business going bankrupt due to embezzlers. They all deserve to die, and I have the means to do it. With this Death Note, I can change the world!'_

* * *

Misa Amane sat in a courtroom a few days later, attending the trial of the man who had killed her parents. Misa was a beautiful young woman, with blonde hair done up in pigtails and clear blue eyes topped with a modest amount of eyeliner. She was dressed in a black Lolita outfit, with a short frilled skirt and stripped stockings. Her blouse showed modest cleavage, and her lips were covered in thick red lipstick. She looked to the girl sitting next to her and said, "Thanks for coming Rise." Rise Kujikawa was Misa's best friend and a fellow pop idol. She was a little shorter than Misa, and had reddish-brown hair hair that was also done in pigtails, with matching eyes. She wore an white turtleneck covered in an orange shirt with puffy sleeves, as well as matching frill skirt and knee-high stockings. Unlike Misa she wasn't wearing any make-up.

"Hey, it's the least I can do," Rise said, "I just hope this ends in a favorable conclusion. I hear that sleazeball defense attorney the culprit hired is trying to get a lesser sentence of manslaughter. Still, you shouldn't worry. I sure he'll be found guilty." Misa nodded, but still looked forlorn. Unfortunately, it seemed the defense attorney was able to help his client, to a degree. The judge handed down a lesser sentence of manslaughter, and the defendant was led away in handcuffs, a smug, arrogant look on his face. That look soon gave way to pain though, as the defendant suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground. The bailiffs quickly sent for a medic, but it was too late. The defendant was already dead from what appeared to be a heart attack.

Misa stood there, not believing what just happened. "How could that have happened?," she asked aloud, "He's way too young to die like that." Rise narrowed her eyes, not liking the way things had turned out. _'A criminal dying of a heart attack. But how? I know for a fact Light wouldn't do this, not anymore. Could a Death Note really be involved?'_ She looked to see that the prosecutor was also in a state of shock, before giving a slight smile. It was as if he thought God had struck down the defendant in an act of righteous judgement. _'Something's not right here,'_ Rise thought, _'I think Light should know about this.'_

* * *

In the Shinigami Realm, Ryuk sat at his usual spot. **"It's been about five days now. I should probably get going."** Deridovely turned his head to him and said, **"You plan on going somewhere Ryuk? You do know our whole world looks like this right?"** Ryuk nodded. **"That's true, but I dropped my Death Note. I need to go find it soon."** Gook and Deridovely laughed when they heard this. **"You really are absent-minded sometimes Ryuk,"** Gook said, **"But didn't you already trick the Old Man into giving you a second Death Note? Don't tell me you dropped both of them."** **"Nope,"** Ryuk said, **"Just the one. And I dropped it in the human world."** Gook and Deridovely looked at each other in surprise.

Ryuk approached the column of light that was the portal between the human world and the Shinigami Realm. Normally shinigami were forbidden from ever entering the human world unless they had a very good reason, and dropping one's Death Note in the human world qualified. However, unless a human had picked up that Death Note the shinigami could not stay in that world and had to return after seventy-two hours. However, Ryuk felt sure someone had to have picked up the Death Note he dropped by now. Growing a pair of black wings out of his back, he flew through the portal and into the human world. **"I wonder what sort of human picked up my Death Note. I gotta say, I can't wait to meet them."**

* * *

Kisuke got home and took of his shoes before entering the hallway leading to his bedroom. Under his arm was the result of the nation-wide exam. _'Light beats me yet again. I always come second place to him. Still, there is one thing I have he doesn't.'_ He walked into his room and turned on his desk lamp, then opened one of the drawers in his desk and took out the Death Note. Opening it up, he smiled and chuckled to himself as he gazed upon the large amount of names he had written in it. **"You seem to have taken quite a liking to that notebook,"** came a voice from beside him. Kisuke turned to see Ryuk standing there in the room. "Gah," he screamed as he tripped over his chair and fell to the floor.

"**Hey now, there's no need to get so worked up. I am the shinigami Ryuk. That notebook you have used to belong to me. Judging from your laughter, I'm assuming you already realized this is no ordinary notebook."** Kisuke calmed down and got up. "I see. A shinigami, or god of death. I had a feeling you'd show up sooner or later." **"Oh really?,"** Ryuk said, a little surprised. Kisuke nodded. "At first I thought it was some sort of elaborate prank. But after testing it a couple times, I know. This Death Note is for real. So, Ryuk, now that you're here what happens next?" Ryuk chuckled. **"That's up to you now. I don't know if you were expecting something crazy like I take away your soul or anything, but that Death Note is rightfully yours now. Of course, if you don't want it you can always give it to someone else. But if you do, I'll have to erase all your memories of the Death Note."**

Kisuke picked up the Death Note. "So this is mine now, huh? That means I can use it without any consequence?" Ryuk nodded. **"Almost. Let's just say you will feel the pain and sadness that only those who have used the Death Note feel. Also, any human who has used the Death Note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell for eternity. So you have something to look forward to when you die."** Just then, the door to Kisuke's room jiggled. "Huh?," came his mom's voice, "That's strange. Why is the door locked? Kisuke, are you in there?" Kisuke looked a little worried about answering for fear of his mother seeing Ryuk, but Ryuk said, **"It'll be alright. Go ahead and answer it."**

Hiding the Death Note under his bed, Kisuke opened the door for his mother, Yuna Kitamura. She was rather pretty for a middle-aged woman, wearing a green blouse and matching dress skirt. Her long auburn hair was similar to Kisuke's, but she had dark purple eyes. "Why are you here in the dark Kisuke?," she asked her son, "You keep that up and you'll need new glasses." Kisuke seemed surprised. Yuna was looking into the room behind him and seemed to ignore Ryuk, despite his size. "Anyway," she said, "I brought up some fresh apples from the market. You should try some." Kisuke nodded and took the basket of apples from her. He closed the door, locked it, then set the basket down on the desk before sitting in his chair.

"So what was that all about?," he asked Ryuk, "My mother acted like she couldn't even see you." **"She couldn't,"** Ryuk said as he picked up one of the apples, **"Don't forget that used to be my Death Note, so the only one who can see or hear me is you. Basically the Death Note acts as a link between Kisuke, the human, and Ryuk, the shinigami."** He bit into the apple and his eyes lit up. Greedily he began munching on the other apples until they were all gone. **"Ah, that hit the spot. ****Apples in the human world are worth the trip. There so... What's the best word... Juicy?"** He looked at the Death Note and picked it up. **"Interesting. I've heard of Death Notes finding their way into the human world before, but you're the first person to write this many names."**

Kisuke looked at Ryuk. "Can I ask you an important question? Why drop your Death Note in the human world in the first place? You even took the time to write specific instructions." Ryuk looked at him. **"You really wanna know? I was bored, that's all. These days the shinigami have nothing to do. We usually spend our time sleeping or gambling. If a shinigami takes the time to write a name in his Death Note, he gets ridiculed for working too hard. We can't kill each other using our Death Notes, and since we can't normally see into the human world it brings us no joy to kill humans. So I finally decided to come here to the human world."** He looked back at the Death Note and noticed something. **"Say, why'd you only write the cause of death for the man who was hit by the truck?"**

Kisuke smiled. "If you don't write the cause of death the person will just die of a heart attack right? That may be the best thing about the Death Note. You see, I've been bored too. So I've decided, I'll use the Death Note to cleanse this world of all criminals. I'll get people to notice me, to see who I am. It won't be long before the people of the world take notice. They'll see that there is someone out there who is passing righteous judgement upon the wicked. I started with the worst criminals I could think of, and eventually exhausted the list of the world's major criminals. Eventually I'll kill them all. And when that day comes, the world can start to move in the right direction. It'll be a brand new world, populated by those I have judged to honest, hard-working individuals."

"**What's the point of all that?,"** Ryuk asked, **"If you did that, there would still be one bad person left, yourself."** Kisuke laughed gently. "I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm just your average high school honor student. One of Japan's best and brightest." He smiled. "And I intend to become the god of a new world." Ryuk smiled as he clenched his fist. '_**It's as I thought. Humans are such interesting creatures. Now I know coming here was the right decision. Very well Kisuke, I'll sit back and watch you go about your work, maybe even assist every now and again. But when it's finally time for you to die, I'll write your name in my own Death Note. We'll see how long that takes, and if you succeed before that time.'**_

Next chapter: Confrontation

"This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore people sharing the same name will not be affected."

**See you guys next chapter, please read and review.**


	2. Chapter 2: Confrontation

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"If the cause of death is written within forty seconds of writing the person's name, it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack."

Chapter 2: Confrontation

As Light sat at his desk at Daikoku Academy, he couldn't help but feel that something was watching him. Something unseen by his eyes. _'Why am I getting this sudden sense of deja vu? And what is this eerie feeling I'm getting? Is Nobunaga trying to tell me something?'_ Nobunaga Oda was Light's Persona, a representation of the strength in Light's heart. Originally that strength had taken the form of Yoshitsune Minamoto, but a certain incident last year had allowed Light's Persona to evolve into the more powerful Nobunaga. What Light couldn't see was that Ryuk was standing in the room next to Kisuke. And just as Light could not see Ryuk, Kisuke, or anyone else for that matter, could not see Nobunaga. But Ryuk sure could.

Nobunaga had the appearance of the feudal warlord he was named after, with steel armor covered by a black and purple jacket. His long black hair was done up in a topknot, and he wore a black oni mask over his face. At his side was a straight sword with a demon motif on the hilt. Ryuk watched in interest as Nobunaga had his hand over Light's face the whole time, obscuring Ryuk's view. '_**I never thought I'd see a Persona up close,'**_ Ryuk thought. As Ryuk continued to observe Light, the school bell rang signaling the end of class. As Kisuke got up to leave, Ryuk followed him out. Taking one last look toward Light, he thought, '_**Why do I get the strange feeling I've seen that kid before?'**_

Light meanwhile, had gotten a ring on his cell phone. "Hello," he said. Yu's voice came in on the other end. 'Light. You done with school right now?' "Just ended," Light said, "What's up?" 'An emergency meeting of the Inaba Investigation Team. Seems that incident Rise mentioned was far from isolated. There have been dozens of similar incidents all over the world.' Light closed his eyes. "I thought as much. My Dad got called away for an emergency meeting of the ICPO. I honestly never thought something like this would happen in real life." 'I know,' Yu said, 'Talk about a nightmare come true. Anyway, hurry back to Inaba as soon as you can. Naoto is bringing over an old friend.'

* * *

Back at home, Kisuke was writing names in the Death Note without pause. He checked the internet every once in while and noted the names and faces of the criminals he found. **"Jeez,"** Ryuk said as he munched on an apple, **"You sure work hard. Why are you writing so many names at once anyway?"** "Because I have very small window to do so," Kisuke explained, "I only have so much time between when I'm done with school and when I go to sleep. I can't call myself serious about creating a new world free from evil if I can't even look after my own health. I need to keep my brain sharp so I can maintain my average in school and continue to get good sleep so I don't nod off in class." He stopped writing for a bit and looked over to Ryuk. "It's as simple as that."

Just then, someone outside the door called out, "Hey Kisuke. I need some help with my homework." Kisuke placed the Death Note in the drawer of his desk and went to answer the door as Ryuk finished off his apple quickly. It was his little brother, Kujo. Kujo was only ten years old, and essentially looked like a younger version of Kisuke without the glasses. He was wearing jean shorts and a green hoodie. "Sure thing bro," Kisuke said, "What are you working on?" Kujo walked inside Kisuke's room. "Just some math homework. My teacher has us all on logic problems." **"Careful there Kisuke," **Ryuk said, **"Anyone who touches the Death Note you have in that drawer will be able to see and hear me."**

Kisuke winced at Ryuk's words. _'What a time for him to mention that little detail.'_ Kisuke looked over his brother's homework, careful to block the drawer from Kujo's sight. After Kujo left, Kisuke sighed as he closed the door to his room. "You really pick the worst times to give new information about the Death Note Ryuk. This is something you should have mentioned when we first met." Ryuk shrugged and grabbed a new apple. Kisuke sat down in his chair and thought to himself. _'This little development presents a new problem. I'm gonna need a more effective means of hiding the Death Note than just placing it in my desk drawer.'_ After a minute or two of thinking, he got an idea. "I need to gather some supplies from school," he said.

* * *

At the vast meeting room for the ICPO, more commonly known as Interpol, Touta Matsuda sat at his spot and waiting for Soichiro. Matsuda looked much younger than he was, and hop a mop of black hair with bright eyes to match. He was dressed up in a blue dress suit and pants over a white dress shirt and red tie. The chatter in the meeting room was almost deafening, with the various delegates wearing earpieces so they could be heard easier. Finally, Soichiro appeared and sat down next to Matsuda. Soichiro Yagami, Light's father, was the Chief Superintendent of the National Police Agency, or NPA, a Japanese version of the FBI.

Soichiro had a weathered look about his face, with short black hair that was perfectly tidy, as well as deep brown eyes covered by his thick reading glasses. He was still as well built as he was in prime, and had a thick mustache across across his upper lip. He was dressed similar to Matsuda, except his clothes were more pressed and brownish-black in color. "Sorry to be so late," he said to Matsuda, "I was called away to the office." Matsuda nodded. "No problem Chief. You really didn't miss much. Just the usual back and forth arguing about all these unexplained heart attack cases. I still find it hard to believe that something like this is really happening."

Just then one of the other delegates spoke up. "If it's come to this, then we have no choice but to call in L." Matsuda looked confused. "Uh... Chief, who's L?" "Oh that's right," Soichiro said, "I forgot this is your first meeting. No one knows what L's true name is, or even what he looks like, but he's considered the best detective in the world, a real life Sherlock Holmes. He's solved every mystery he's ever taken on. The last resort, our ultimate trump card." Another delegate spoke up. "But I've heard that L is extremely arrogant, and will only take cases he's interested in. And besides we don't even know how to contact him." "L is already on the move," came a deep voice from the front of the meeting room.

Out from the shadows walked a male figure in a heavy raincoat, his face covered by a wide-brimmed fedora. Matsuda stared at the figure with interest. "Who's that?" "That Watari," Soichiro explained, "He's the only person known to be able to contact L directly, and acts as L's personal liaison with whatever authorities he's currently working with. No one knows who Watari really is either. He's just as mysterious as L." "Two people hiding in the shadow...," Matsuda said. Watari cleared his throat. "Gentlemen of the ICPO, L has already reviewed the case. In a few moments, he will address the situation directly."

* * *

Kisuke finished the project he was working on. A little earlier he had visited an abandoned building with various supplies for a little experiment. Now he had completed work on a new hiding place for the Death Note. "I have to admit that was easier than I expected." Ryuk looked at the work Kisuke did. **"Doesn't look like you did a good job. It's just there in your desk drawer. Heck, you even left the key in the lock."** Kisuke smiled. "And that, Ryuk, is the whole idea. Observe." He opened the drawer to reveal an ordinary diary. "This diary will serve to deflect most people's curiosity. But in truth, the real key is this." He took a a ball-point pen from a cup on his desk. "Just a little everyday item you'd expect a student to have. And all I need in the ink well."

He unscrewed the cap with the ink well attached to it. "Now if you'll observe the underside of the drawer, you'll see there's a tiny hole there just big enough for the ink well to fit through. Slip it inside, and..." As Kisuke did so, a panel of wood popped up from the bottom of the drawer. Ryuk looked surprised. **"Well, well. A fake bottom. With the diary distracting most people, I doubt anyone will find it so easily."** Kisuke nodded. "However, just in case, I've set things up to prevent anyone from discovering the Death Note. I've had to. Now that I know that anyone who touches the Death Note can see you, I can't afford to carry it around with me anymore. Up until now, I thought that if anyone found it I could claim it was simply a record of criminals I was looking up to prepare for being a detective. But..."

"**But one little slip up, and you could be forced to kill your own family,"** Ryuk finished. "Right," Kisuke said, "And to that end, I constructed this." He took the false bottom from the drawer and showed Ryuk the electrical circuit on the real bottom. It surrounded the Death Note, which had been sealed in a plastic storage bag. At the edge of the circuit was a small container of gasoline. "The ink well acts an insulator for the circuit," Kisuke said, pointing out the metal clamps that were attached to the other end of the circuit, currently held apart by the ink well. He then pointed to a short piece of rubber on the underside of the false bottom. "When the fake bottom is in place, this little piece of rubber also acts as an insulator. But if the bottom is forced off, the circuit will connect and trigger the gasoline container, burning the Death Note and destroying all the evidence."

He replaced the false bottom carefully. "If anyone questions me about it, I can simply say I was paranoid about people finding my real diary." **"You know," **Ryuk said, **"There have been instances of humans finding Death Notes in the past. One of the major issues they come across is where to hide it. But you, Kisuke, have got to be the first human to have given it so much thought. Though the set up looks risky to me. One tiny slip and you could be badly burned."** Kisuke chuckled. "This whole thing has been a big risk Ryuk. Personally I'd rather deal with a small house fire then be executed for mass-murder."

* * *

Over in Inaba, Light found the gang at their new headquarters. It was still at the Junes store, but not at the same place. Yu's uncle, Ryotaro Dojima, had commissioned a particular area set aside for the gang. After solving the Inaba murders, the Inaba Investigation Team had become official, solving a number of mysteries in the nearby city. Light sat down next to Rise and looked at his friends. Yu Narukami, the team's official leader, was around Light's height and build. He had short silver hair and misty gray eyes. He was wearing the uniform of the local high school, Yasogami High, which consisted of black pants and jacket for boys. In Yu's case, he had the jacket unbuttoned revealing his white shirt.

Next to him Yukiko Amagi. Her appearance was rather striking, with her long, raven black hair with a red hairband in it and light gray eyes. She wore a red blouse over her white shirt with a red choker around her neck, as well as a black frill skirt and knee high boots. Yosuke Hanamura, whose family owned Junes, was a young man with a mop of unkempt orange-brown hair and light brown eyes. He was wearing green pants and a white v-necked shirt with a leather jacket over it. His red walkman was hanging around his neck. Next to him was Chie Satonaka, Yukiko's best friend, with light brown hair and matching eyes. She wore the typical Yasogami High female uniform, except she had replaced the black jacket with a bright green one.

Soon enough the gang was joined by Teddie and Labrys. Unlike the rest of the gang, these two were not human, at least not in the physical sense. Teddie was around the same build as the other guys, and had short blonde hair with bright blue eyes. He was dressed in blue dress pants and a white theater shirt with a red rose attached to the left side. This however was just a different form used to blend in while in the human world. Teddie was, in fact, a shadow from a pocket dimension the gang had come to call the TV world, due to the fact that it could only be accessed by passing through TV screens. Teddie had created that world to house shadows that had somehow been separated from their hosts. His normal form resembled a giant blue stuffed bear dressed in red and white pajamas.

Labrys was a young woman who had pale skin compared to the other girls, with light blue hair and matching eyes. She was wearing a summer version of the Yasogami High girls uniform, which was white instead of black. However, Labrys was actually a robot. Specifically, she was know as the Fifth-Generation Anti-Shadow Weapon Labrys, which was ironic since she and Teddie were lovers. Labrys could, at will, transform into her battle mode, which added knight-like armor plates to her arms and legs, as well as a helmet-like headband. Because of her inadequate regulatory system, she was given a giant axe for a weapon instead of firearms, which she configured to become part of her hover system.

Light looked around the area. "Where are Naoto and Kanji?" "They should be coming soon," Yu said, "Naoto said she had to pick someone up from the airport." Just then, a taxi pulled up outside the food court where the gang was. Kanji Tatsumi got out on the side facing the street. Despite being a year younger than the other team members, save for Rise and Naoto, Kanji was the biggest and strongest of the team. He had untidy dirty blonde hair as well as smokey gray eyes. There were piercings on his nose and up his left ear. He had replaced the white shirt of his school uniform with a black one bearing a skull motif on the front, and his jacket was draped over his shoulders and attached with hidden straps that his arms fit through to keep it on during a fight. He had a rather large bag slung over his shoulder.

Naoto Shirogane got of the taxi on the side near the sidewalk. To anyone who didn't know her, Naoto had the appearance of a young boy, though a closer inspection of her face would reveal its feminine qualities. She had short blue hair and matching eyes, and wore a distinctive blue cap on her head. She also wore blue dress pants and a matching jacket, giving her the appearance of a manga detective. "Sorry if we're a little late," Naoto said, "But our friend here insisted on stopping by the police station to make some copies." As Naoto walked over to the gang, a figure came out of the taxi behind her. Light could not believe his eyes. _'It's him... L...'_ L was a rather tall and lanky individual. His black hair was very untidy, and his black eyes were sunken into his tired looking face. He wore simple blue jeans and a white shirt, which looked very ruffled. For some reason he was completely barefoot.

L walked over to where the gang was sitting, and the hunch in his posture was quite evident. Rather than sit in the chair provided for him, he crouched into it. To the others it looked rather silly. "Hello there," he said to the gang, "I am L. May I begin by saying how honored I am to meet the famed Inaba Investigation Team in person. I understand catching Tohru Adachi was no easy feat." Adachi, a former detective for the Inaba police, was the one responsible for the Inaba murders last year. L nodded to Kanji, who placed the bag he had been holding on the table and unzipped it. "Let's get down to business," L said, "As I'm sure you are aware, a great number of individuals have mysteriously died of heart attacks over the past few weeks, all of them criminals. The case has peeked my interest and I have gone over the details rather meticulously."

As he talked, Kanji brought out a laptop, along with camera and microphone equipment, and eleven copies of the case notes L had compiled. He also brought out a dish of candies and placed it in front of L, who removed the lid and took one of the candies out. Placing the candy in his mouth, L continued, "After reviewing the case as we know it so far, I can say for certain that we are dealing with a serial murderer. I have yet to determine if the culprit is an individual or a group, however from I learned so far, I believe they guilty party may be here in Japan. Having said that, I have naturally gone over each of your psychological profiles and can honestly say that none of you is the person or persons we are looking for." He picked up another candy and dropped it into his mouth.

Labrys looked at him. "What makes you so sure that our suspect is here in Japan?" L finished swallowing the candy. "I'm glad you asked that Ms. Labrys. As it happens, I am to address the delegates of the ICPO in a few minutes regarding this case. I'm sure by now they have already considered requesting my aid. My liaison Watari is already in place at ICPO headquarters and should have everything set up shortly." Sure enough, L soon got an e-mail on his laptop from Watari. "Ladies and gentleman," he said as he switched on the microphone and camera, "Our game begins." He spoke into the mic, which was equipped with a voice filter. "**Greeting members of the ICPO. I am L.**"

* * *

At the ICPO, a big diploma-style letter l appeared on the giant monitor at the front of the meeting room in black and white. "_**I have reviewed this case with great interest and make no mistake, we are dealing with a mass-murderer of the most dangerous sort. Because of its great scope, this case cannot be solved unless we have full cooperation of the ICPO and its member nations. You must decide here and now to support this case. In particular, I will need extra assistance from Japan's National Police Agency.**_" Soichiro stood up. "L, why Japan in particular?" "_**Whether the guilty party is an individual or a group, I can say with all certainty that they are Japanese, or at the very least are operating within Japan.**_"

Soichiro narrowed his eyes. "On what facts do this base this on exactly?" "_**I believe I can answer all your questions in one fell swoop, after I have made a direct confrontation with the culprit. To do this, there a few steps we must take in advance. I'll have my liaison, Watari, provide you with all the details. So gentlemen, do we have an agreement?**_" Soichiro nodded. "Very well. Just tell us where we need to begin." "_**Very good. Watari, if you please.**_" Watari turned back to the screen and nodded. "Gentlemen, our first step is to trick our culprit with a media stunt. To that end, there are few things we must accomplish to set things up."

* * *

L switched off the camera and microphone. "And there you have it. If things go as planned, we will prove that these deaths are in fact murders. If any of you have any additional question, you'll find the case notes I have provided you with contain a number of footnotes written by myself." Light had listened intently the whole time. _'It still seems so hard to believe. In my dream over a year ago, me and L were bitter enemies, but here we are to be allies.'_ "I actually have a question that the case notes probably can't answer," Teddie said, "In our experience certain high-profile criminals whose identities are yet unknown are given nicknames for the media. Does our culprit have one?" L nodded his head. "He is known as... Kira."

* * *

At his home, Kisuke was looking up something on the internet. "Well now. Ryuk, come have a look at this." Ryuk looked at the web-page Kisuke had brought up. **"The legend of Kira the Savior. How interesting. Is this about you?"** Kisuke nodded. "Seems that way. I guess they took it from the Japanese pronunciation of the word 'killer', though I don't much like that personally. Still, it's the name that world has chosen for me. Seems the public has started to catch wind of my activities." **"Funny how it hasn't shown up in the media yet,"** Ryuk said. Kisuke shrugged. "Well that's how humans are. They'll always try to keep up appearances in public, just going with the flow. Those few who go against the grain are the ones who usually wind up advancing society."

He leaned back in his chair. "You see, most people would likely deny my existence in public. After all, for the majority of people killing is an unforgivable act. But on the internet a person can remain anonymous, and speak their mind without being judged. Right now, the innocent are cheering Kira on in their hearts because they know they have nothing to fear, while the guilty are forced to hide in the shadows from a faceless enemy. This is how it should be." Just then, a sudden news report came on the TV. _"We're bringing you a world-wide broadcast from the ICPO regarding the recent series of murders that have been occurring over the past few weeks. Here now is an official representative for the ICPO."_

Kisuke looked as a young man with with shoulder length black hair and matching eyes wearing a pressed black suit appeared on screen, a name plaque in front of him. _"People of the world, I head up a special task force for the ICPO created in response to these recent murders. My name is Lind L. Tailor, otherwise known as L. Our mission is to find and capture the individual known to the public as Kira, the one responsible for these horrendous crimes." _"Hah," Kisuke said, "Good luck L. As long as the Death Note is out of your hands, there's no evidence against me." _"Kira, I have a pretty good idea of your motives for killing off all these criminals, however your actions... Are pure evil."_ Kisuke's eyes widened.

"Me evil... I am the god of a new world! I protect those that are innocent and punish those that are truly evil! And anyone who stands in my way is evil as well!" He opened the Death Note and grabbed the nearest pen. "Too bad you were foolish enough to reveal yourself to me. This could have been a lot more interesting." On the page, he wrote down Tailor's name as it was written on the plaque. He got so excited the name took up almost the entire page. Checking his watch, Kisuke counted down, "Four... Three... Two... One..." Tailor suddenly clutched his chest in pain and collapsed. Several people came to check to check on him, but Kisuke knew he was already dead. Before he could gloat however, the screen suddenly changed to a diploma-style l on a white background.

* * *

L was nearly dumbfounded, but nonetheless spoke into his microphone. "**Well... I had to test this for myself, but I didn't actually think it would work. Kira... It seems you can kill without actually having to be there. If it was indeed you, Kira, who just killed Lind L. Tailor, you should know he was in fact a death-row inmate whose execution was scheduled for today. Don't bother trying to look him up, I made sure he was captured with the utmost secrecy, so there would be no record of him in the news or the internet.**" "Gotta say," Yosuke whispered, "It almost feels like we threw that guy to the lions." Naoto nodded. "That's L for you. He always pulls stunts like this to force his adversaries' hands."

* * *

At the NPA headquarters, Soichiro, Matsuda, and about more than two dozen other officers were gathered. "Most impressive," Soichiro said, "L's just proven Kira's existence and that all the deaths were murders." _"__**I assure you Kira, L is real! I am real! Now then... Try and kill me! If you think you can! What's wrong, can't you do it?! Come on Kira, you were so quick to kill my stand-in!**__"_ The whole room became dumbfounded as L spent the next minute trying to taunt Kira into killing him. _'What does he think he's doing?,'_ Soichiro said, _'Is he expecting Kira to try a second time so soon after his last victim?'_ After a minute or two, L spoke again. _"__**Well, well Kira. It seems you can't kill me after all.**__"_

* * *

Kisuke sank into his chair. He knew full well that without L's name or face he couldn't kill him. _"__**You've given a very useful hint there Kira. Now I'll return the favor. This was announced as world-wide broadcast, when in fact we are only broadcasting in the Kanto region of Japan. Why here first you may ask? After going over the list of victims, the first one to be confirmed is what tipped me off. His was by far the least serious crime out of all your victims, and to top it all off his crime was only ever broadcast within Japan. From this, I have determined that you are presently within Japan, and your first victim was little more than an experiment, which means you haven't been killing for very long.**__"_

* * *

"Guy's got some brain if he figured out that much already," Labrys said. L smiled. "**The reason we began in the Kanto region is because of its large population, though to be honest I didn't expect to find you so soon. That was quite a lucky break for us. Had you not killed my stand-in we had planned to continue this broadcast in various regions across the globe. But obviously that will not be necessary. It won't be long now before I catch up to you and can have you sentenced to death. I am of course curious as to how you can kill these people, but I am nothing if not patient, and can wait until we are face-to-face. Let's meet again soon.**" He switched off his mic. "Now we have made the first move. And gained much information."

Light had said nothing about his dream, if only because he wasn't sure yet whether this new Kira had a Death Note or not. _'If Kira does have a Death Note, this could be over easily. But there's no way to tell that for sure. Now that I'm aware of how many types of supernatural events there are, Kira could be using any number of ways to pull off these murders. Kira... In my dream I was Kira, and was pure evil. The worst of it was, I didn't even see myself that way. I'm sure this new Kira thinks of himself as a righteous individual. Well guess what Kira, this world has little need for your kind. Even if you don't want to admit, you're even worse than the criminals you kill on a daily basis.'_

* * *

Kisuke had his face buried in his hands. "Sentence me to death, huh? Very well then, L, consider your challenge accepted." He smiled. "This little war of ours could prove to be interesting after all. Once I find out who you are, you'll be the one who gets the death sentence. With you out of the way, there will be no one to challenge my reign as god of the new world." Ryuk chuckled to himself. '_**Each will have to search for the other without knowing their name or face, and the first one whose identity is revealed will die. L versus Kira, two humans who claim to represent justice. Humans are such fun. I look forward to seeing who will win this confrontation.'**_

Next chapter: Dealings

"After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next six minutes and forty seconds."

**The battle has begun, and you'll see how it all unfolds next time. Please read and review.**


	3. Chapter 3: Dealings

******I would like to mention first that my usual quotation for talking on the TV will also apply to computers. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"This note shall become the property of the human world, once it touches the ground of (arrives in) the human world."

Chapter 3: Dealings

At Junes, L and the Inaba team sat and listened over the computer as the newly formed "Kira Investigation Team" went over the daily reports. "Twenty-one people claiming to be Kira?," Yosuke said, "What's your betting all of those are prank calls? There's no way Kira would contact the police directly." L started chewing his thumb. "I believe you're right Yosuke, but knowing the police they won't want to rule anything out." An investigator at the NPA headquarters came over the speakers with the victim reports. _"We were able to confirm that all of the heart attack victims' identities were publicly available prior to their deaths. And regarding L's request, we have investigated the time of death for each of the victims, and have found that they fell between the hours of four pm and two am on weekdays. At least sixty percent of these occurred between eight pm and twelve am. Weekends and holidays are the exception with deaths on those days being more spread out."_

"Huh," Labrys said when she heard this, "Pretty telling wouldn't you say?" L nodded and spoke into the mic. "**Given that information, I believe our suspect may be a student, one who has a very naive concept of justice. It's possible he may even possess a god-complex of some kind. I would suggest you re-examine any notions you may have previously had regarding Kira possibly being a student. Naturally this is mere speculation for now, but we must be open to all possibilities if we are to find and arrest Kira as soon as possible. Now then, please continue your report.**" Light overheard his father talking. _"Very well then. Does anyone have anything else to say?"_ The next voice to speak was very familiar to Light. _"Uh, yeah Chief..."_

"That sounds like Matsuda," Light said, "One of the people working directly under my Dad." Matsuda continued to speak. _"Now I'm not saying this to condone Kira our anything, but ever since this got started, we've been seeing a vast decrease in the number of violent crimes in both Japan and around the world."_ Judging from the groans that followed, no one liked that statement. "This Matsuda sounds like a real idiot," L said. Light chuckled. "Yeah, he can come off as such." _"Well,"_ came Soichiro's voice, _"I suppose that's to be expected. So then, this concludes the meeting."_ L started talking into the mic again. "**Thank you everyone, I now feel we are one step closer to catching Kira. Now then, I have one additional request for the teams investigating the victims. I would like to know how their identities were made available to the public. Specifically I would like to know if photos of the victims were made public. That is all.**"

L switched of the camera. "Why do you want to know if the victims' photos were made public?," Yukiko asked. L picked up the cup of hot chocolate he had ordered and gently sipped it. "We have earlier deduced that Kira needs to know his victim's name before he can kill them. This was noted by Narukami when he discovered that criminals whose names were never made public or who's names were misspelled in the media were not targeted. Now I want to know if Kira needs to know what his victim looks like. During my challenge to Kira, I never had to show my face or reveal my true name, and he was unable to kill me. That is what made me think that Kira at least needs to know of his victim before he can kill them." He took another sip.

* * *

Koreyoshi Kitamura, the Deputy Director of the NPA, was walking home after receiving the report from Soichiro. He was an over-the-hill man, tall but rather corpulent. He still much of his gray hair, though his hairline had receded almost to the back of his head. His green eyes resembled his son Kisuke's, and he had a similar pair of glasses on. He wore his usual business suit which was colored dark blue. As soon as he got home, he knocked on the door and then entered. Kisuke was there to greet him. "Hey Dad, welcome home." "Thank you," Kitamura said, "I trust everything's been going well in school." Kisuke nodded. He was still embarrassed that he was always coming in second to Light, even thought Light's father worked under Kitamura.

Ryuk watched as the Kitamura family sat around the dinner table eating. Earlier Kisuke had expressed his confidence that he had a major advantage over the authorities. "So Dad," Kisuke said, "I hear the NPA has a new case they're working on." Kitamura nodded. "The head of the investigation team is Soichiro Yagami. I believe his son Light is in your class at school. Speaking of which, you shouldn't be so negative about always being behind him. Given the boy's achievements that actually speaks quite well of your own abilities." Ryuk chuckled at this. Kitamura took another bite of his nagiri and continued. "Anyway, Soichiro is supposed to give to me daily reports as the investigation continues." _'That's just what I wanted to hear,'_ Kisuke thought.

After dinner he headed up to his room with Ryuk following. As Kisuke started working at his computer, Ryuk munched on another apple. **"So Daddy's a policeman. This must be why you were so confident earlier."** Kisuke nodded. "Of course Dad isn't on the investigation team itself, but the head of the team answers directly to him. And now that I know Dad has to receive daily reports..." He quickly brought up a series of files. "I can hack into his files and keep tabs on the investigation. Since we're on a home network it will be difficult to trace." Ryuk took a look at the files and chuckled. **"Looks like they're already suspecting a student to be the culprit. Guess you're in trouble Kisuke."**

Kisuke thought himself. Opening the Death Note, he took another look at the rules Ryuk had written down. "If the cause of death is written within forty seconds of writing the name it will happen, and then I'll have another six minutes and forty seconds to write out details of the death." Ryuk nodded. **"That sounds about right."** "So then," Kisuke said as he got out a pen, "If I were to write the cause of death as 'heart attack', I could then control the victim's actions any way I wanted. That would even include time of death." He brought up a list of prison inmates. "Looks like I'll be able to provide you with more entertainment Ryuk." Ryuk chuckled and watched with interest.

* * *

"No way," Chie said, "Another twenty-three victims? That's the second day in a row this has happened." The Inaba team was going over the latest reports on the Kira investigation. It seemed Kira had switched up his pace, killing one criminal on the hour, every hour. Chie face-palmed. "There goes our student theory." "I don't know," Kanji said, "Anyone can skip two days of school, regardless if they're a delinquent or an honor student." L finished the pastry he had been eating. "That's hardly the point here Kanji. Ask yourself, why every hour? And why only use prison inmates that are sure to get discovered quickly?" Yu narrowed his eyes. "Seems Kira can control when his victims die."

L nodded. "I believe that is the case. It would appear Kira has some sort of supernatural or ESP-like ability that let's him control when his victims die." Light put a hand to his chin. "L, don't you think the timing of this new pace is a little strange?" "I do," L said as he bit into a pastry, "Almost immediately after we began suspecting Kira might be a student, the pacing of the killings changed, as if to contradict that theory." Teddie crossed his arms. "That can't be coincidence. This only proves Kira can somehow access top secret police information." L started chewing his thumb. "I'm afraid you may be right Teddie. I believe Kira is challenging me directly. The fact that he is somehow able to access our reports cannot be ignored. It may be time for some additional support."

* * *

Kisuke walked home from school a few days later, Ryuk flying right behind him. "I knew it was a good idea to leave a bunch of criminals from the prison system alive for these situations," Kisuke said, "By now I'm thinking L will be suspecting that Kira has access to police information." Ryuk looked confused. **"But won't that make you even more suspicious than when the police suspected Kira was a student?"** "Maybe," Kisuke said, "But my real goal in all this is to get close to L so I can kill him. So to that end, I plan on having the police do all the dirty work for me. You see Ryuk, there are very few people in the human world who actually trust each other. I mean think about it, could you trust someone whose name and face you didn't even know?"

"**I see your point," **Ryuk said with a nod, **"So the whole thing with letting L know that you can access top secret information regarding the case was just a means to an end."** Kisuke nodded. "And once L finds that out, he'll be obligated to investigate the police to find the source of the leak. And once he starts doing that, the police will get angry and start to investigate him. On the surface it will seem like L and the police are working together, when in reality they'll be secretly at each others throats." Ryuk chuckled. **"You continue to interest me Kisuke. If things keep going they way you predict, you could have L's name and face in a matter of months."** Kisuke smiled. "That's what I'm hoping."

* * *

Back in Inaba, an FBI courier had just dropped off a series of documents to the Inaba Investigation Team. Light looked over the list of names, people within the NPA who had access to top secret information regarding the Kira case. He wasn't surprised to see his father's name among the files. "Well," L said, "I think it goes without saying that we can rule out one person from our list of people of interest." He nodded to Light. Just then, Watari came in over the computer. _"L. The FBI agents have arrived in Japan four days ago and are ready to receive their assignments."_ "**Good work Watari,**" L said into the mic, "**I will begin sending the assignments within the hour.**"

As L turned his attention to his coffee, which he had added a great deal of sugar to, Naoto and Kanji approached. "We have a problem," Naoto said, "The investigators assigned to the victims and media team have resigned. We got word a half-hour ago." Yosuke seemed surprised. "Why did they do that?" Naoto looked at him. "It seems L was right when he thought the victims had their photos broadcast to the media prior to their deaths." Yu lowered his head. "I guess I can't blame them. I mean, here we are sitting around with our names and faces hidden from Kira, but the police have their identities exposed to the public. Anyone with a computer could find out who they are."

Light rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I'd imagine Dad is none to happy about this. But at the same time it's a double-edged sword." L looked at him. "How do you mean?" Light put a hand to his mouth. "Well, put yourself in Kira's shoes for a second. Right now, the one he wants to get rid of most is you L. After all, you practically humiliated him during that media stunt, and you're the biggest threat to his goals. This is why he let it slip that he can spy on our investigation. He's counting on the fact that we will investigate the police." L gasped. "And he's expecting the police to investigate me in return, tricking them into doing all his dirty work."

Light nodded. "While it is true that police leaving the investigation means we're down in man-power, it also means there are fewer people who can access our files." Labrys got it. "And that can also potentially make our job easier, since if Kira stops reacting to our investigation, we'll know where the leak is coming from." L smiled. "We can narrow down the number of investigators to a handful of individuals that are the least likely to be Kira, and when that happens..." He took a sip from his coffee. "We can begin the second phase of our operation." Yu nodded and took a look at the files, discarding the ones for the police that had resigned. "Other than the investigators on the team, the only other members of the NPA who have access to our reports are Director Kanichi Takimura and Deputy Director Koreyoshi Kitamura."

"Since we're still sure that Kira is a student," Yukiko said, "I think we should focus more on their family members than the men themselves." L nodded. "That seems like the best course of action." He brought up a file from his computer. "Right now I have commissioned twelve FBI agents to assist us in investigation the police to see if we cannot locate Kira. One, the lead agent, will monitor the situation from a secure location, one will be in contact with me at all times, and the other ten will work with each of you." He printed out the files and handed one to each team member. Light looked at the file he had been given and smirked. _'So it's him, huh? How ironic.'_ On the file was the name "Raye Penber".

* * *

Kisuke was walking home from school later that night, juggling an apple in one hand. "I'm surprised you haven't gone for this yet Ryuk." Ryuk remained silent, and seemed to be looking back at something. Curious, Kisuke looked over his shoulder and saw the silhouette of someone following him. The person must have noticed, because they ducked behind a nearby building. "How long has he been there?," Kisuke asked. **"Since yesterday,"** Ryuk said, **"Of course I know he can't see me. But since I'm always behind you, it feels like he's looking right at me, and it creeps me out."** Kisuke continued walking nonchalantly, but his brow was furrowed.

After entering his room, he peered out the curtain. _'Things are going faster than I thought they would. Too fast in my opinion. I didn't think L would be this quick in suspecting the police. I shouldn't look like anything more than an ordinary high school student, but I can't take any chances. Come to think of it, how did L pull this off? He'd need a lot of man-power and resources for this sort of thing.'_ **"Hey Kisuke,"** Ryuk said, **"I think now would a good time to tell you something interesting. There's a difference, you see, between shinigami and humans who possess a Death Note. Or to be more precise, there are two differences. First off, shinigami can extend their lives when they kill humans by taking their life-spans. For example, say a person was to live until they where sixty, and a shinigami wrote down that they were to die at forty. Now the remaining twenty years are added to the shinigami's life-span."**

Kisuke seemed interested. "But that sort of thing won't work with a human who has a Death Note?" Ryuk nodded. **"No matter how many names you write, your life-span will never increase. But as long as a shinigami doesn't slack off and writes a name down every once in a while, it doesn't matter if we're shot in the head or stabbed in the heart. We simply won't die. That is the first difference between us."** "Wow," Kisuke said, "That is interesting. Out of all the legends about shinigami, that's one I've never heard about." Ryuk chuckled. **"Well if you thought that was interesting, then what I'm about to say next will interest you even more. The second difference between us has less to do with lengthening lives and more with shortening them."**

Kisuke sat down and listened intently. **"You see,"** Ryuk said, **"Shinigami are able to know a human's name just by looking at their face. We know the second we look at them. That's because through a shinigami's eyes, a human's name and life-span appears above their head. Now if I convert the numbers above your head to human time, I could tell you exactly how much longer you have to live. But I would never do that, nor am I allowed to tell you the names of other humans you don't know. Thanks to our eyes, a shinigami never has to worry that he can't kill a human because he doesn't know their name, and we always know exactly how much time we're getting for ourselves."**

"I take it all this is going somewhere," Kisuke said. Ryuk chuckled. **"You're right of course. Because in the case of the second difference there is a way for you to gain the eyes of a shinigami. You see, when a shinigami drops a Death Note and a human picks it up, they have access to a deal that has been with us since ancient times. The price for gaining the eyes of a shinigami is simple... Half of your remaining life-span."** Kisuke closed his eyes. "Really? So if I had fifty more years to live, it'd be down to twenty-five. If it's only a year, it's down to six months. And since you've just said you're not allowed to tell me the names of people it means I can't borrow these powers. I'd have to pay them." Ryuk nodded.**"So I'll ask again. Give me half of your remaining life-span, and I will give you my eyes. What do you say?"** Kisuke considered it. "If I agree to this, it would only make the Death Note easier to use..."

Next chapter: Pursuit

"The owner of the note can recognize the image and voice of its original owner, i.e. a god of death."

**What will Kisuke's answer be? Read and review.**


	4. Chapter 4: Pursuit

******Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"The human who uses this note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell."

Chapter 4: Pursuit

In the Shinigami Realm, Gook and Deridovely were gambling with two other shinigami. One of them was Zellogi, who resembled a mummy wearing a Native American headdress. His lips were receded to the point that his gums were visible. The other was Calikarcha, a shorter shinigami wearing armor similar to those of Indian Rajput warriors. His head was bird-like and elongated, with a single row of eyes going along each side and twin tusks on his lower lip. Calikarcha looked up as he finished counting his winnings so far. **"So I understand Ryuk hasn't been seen since he left for the human world."** Gook nodded. **"I guess he was serious about losing his Death Note. From what I understand however, he had two of them."**

Zellogi scoffed. **"Some human probably picked it up and now Ryuk is stuck in the human world until that human dies or the Death Note is destroyed. It happens every once in a while. Heck, I once did something like that about six decades ago."** **"I remember that,"** Deridovely said, **"You mentioned the human who picked it up tried using it to create a global empire and wipe out an entire sub-race of the humans. Too bad he never thought about using it to kill the leaders of his enemies."** The four shinigami got started with another round. **"Well if Ryuk is in the human world,"** Zellogi said, **"It could be a while before he returns."**

* * *

Back in the human world, Ryuk was waiting for Kisuke to give his answer. "Ryuk," Kisuke said, "I'm afraid this deal is out of the question. I plan to create an ideal world free from evil and crime, and I intend to reign as a god in that world for as long as possible. Of course, if the deal lengthened my life I may have seriously considered it." **"Yeah,"** Ryuk said, **"I thought you might have refused, though I figured I should tell you the deal existed just in case."** Kisuke chuckled as he flopped on his bed. "You know, if you really wanted to tell me this, you could have told me when we first met. Or better yet, you could have written it down along with the rules of the Death Note." He smiled.

"Maybe if you had offered me wings or something instead... I kinda the like the idea of flying through air with my own pair of wings. It'd be very god-like." Ryuk chuckled. **"Of course, you would stick out if you did that."** Kisuke got up. "You're probably right. You know, if I keep making deals for eyes and wings and whatnot, I may end up becoming a shinigami." **"Well to tell you the truth,"** Ryuk said, **"You're already a worthy shinigami even without the eyes. Heck, you do more with the Death Note than any shinigami ever has. These days the Shinigami Realm is rotting away. The only reason we still take human lives is because we're afraid to die. Truth be told, I not sure there's even a reason for us to even exist."**

"I don't know about that," Kisuke said, "I mean, when you think about, the Shinigami Realm plays an important part in society as we know it. I can actually see a number of times in human history when someone important may have gotten there hands on a Death Note and used it to try and change their little corner of the world, or even the whole world like I am. And heck, maybe you can use what you learn while you're here to change the Shinigami Realm, Ryuk." Ryuk chuckled. **"You can be quite the positive thinker, you know."** Kisuke smirked. "I've gotta be, otherwise I couldn't possibly create an ideal world free from evil." He looked at the rules of the Death Note again. "Wait a minute... Yeah... Yeah! I think I now how I can find out my stalker's name."

* * *

Tohru Adachi sighed as he passed away the time reading in his cell. He was similar looking to Matsuda, but looked several years older. He was dressed up in his standard-issue green jumpsuit. _'More than a year since Kubo's claim that he was responsible for my crimes where proven false, and he still insists they were his doing.'_ Adachi was in prison for the murder of two young women, Mayumi Yamano and Saki Konishi. He had used his position as a police detective to hide his crimes, made easier due to the fact that he was able to pass into the TV world. He had also tricked a former politician named Taro Namatame into creating more victims, but that had come to an end thanks to Yu Narukami and his friends.

Adachi looked over to his cellmate, Mitsuo Kubo. Kubo was of high school age, but he wasn't very nice to look at. His short black hair was very unkempt, and he had large black eyes. His face was covered in various skin marks. He seemed to be acting very strange. "You okay Kubo?," Adachi asked. Kubo didn't answer, but picked up a piece of paper and a pencil and began to write something down. Adachi got up from his bunk and chuckled. "You trying to write to another news crew? You should give it up already." He looked at what Kubo was writing.

"Hey wait," Adachi said, "That looks more like a suicide letter." As soon as Kubo finished writing, he immediately clutched his chest in pain. "What the...?," Adachi said, and then Kubo keeled over. Adachi began shaking Kubo vigorously. "Kubo? Come on Kubo, knock it off." But Kubo didn't move. Adachi checked his pulse, and found he was dead. _'Aw man, it's Kira. It's gotta be. But wait, how come I haven't died yet? All Kubo did was kill some teacher to get attention, but my crimes were much worse. Could it be Kira can only kill those he's actually heard of? Whatever, I've gotta alert someone.'_ He quickly got the attention of a passing guard.

* * *

At the Kira investigation headquarters, Soichiro got a call from the police who had been transferred to the victim and media division. 'We've had six more inmates found dead from heart attacks last night Chief.' Soichiro closed his eyes. "It's Kira again." 'There's more,' the officer said, 'Three of the inmates exhibited unusual behavior prior to their deaths.' Soichiro was surprised. "What? Unusual how?" The officer cleared his throat. 'Well, one of the victims drew a pentagram on the wall with his own blood. Another wrote what appears to be a suicide letter before he died. A third escaped from his cell and ran into a guard's bathroom and died as soon as he entered.' Watari listened to all this with interest. _'This is quite the peculiar development. Perhaps L and the Inaba Investigation Team can make something of this.'_

* * *

"Sitting on our asses waiting for new developments in the case," Kanji said, "Where have we seen this before?" Light nodded. "Well we should be used to it by now." Just then, Watari came in on L's computer. _"L. Six more victims have been discovered, with three of them exhibiting unusual behavior prior to their deaths. I'm sending you photos and a letter found at one of the scenes."_ L examined the new files closely. Yosuke came over to take a look. "Hey, that's Mitsuo Kubo's handwriting." Rise walked over to take a look. "You mean that creep that killed King Moron?" L looked at her. "King Moron?"

Rise nodded. "That's what everyone at school called him, but his real name was Kinshiro Morooka. You see, Kubo was a copycat of Adachi who had killed Morooka trying to get noticed." L nodded. He took a look at the letter. "From what was written here, I suppose it's possible Kubo was genuinely afraid to die. However, put into context with the other deaths..." He started chewing on his thumb again. "We know that Kira can manipulate the time of death. What if he could also manipulate a person's actions leading up to death."

"I wonder," Light said, "What if Kira was also to trying to manipulate the other three, but couldn't because what he had in mind was too impossible?" L picked up a doughnut and shoved it in his mouth. "If you're right, that means these latest victims are yet another experiment by Kira. He's trying to figure out how much control over a person he can have." He swallowed. "In which case, he's planning something big soon. I'd recommend each of you meet with the FBI agent you have been assigned to liaison with and have them keep an eye out for any suspicious behavior."

L turned on his mic. "**Chief Yagami, I must ask that you not release the actions of these victims to the public. As far as the media is concerned, these are just more heart attack victims.**" _"Right,"_ came Soichiro's voice, _"We'll make sure of it."_ L switched off his mic and continued looking at the letter. "There's a hidden clue in this letter, I'm sure of it." The letter was written in traditional Japanese style, right to left with the kanji symbols being read from the top of the page to the bottom. Kanji walked over to view the letter and noticed something. "Hey L. Try reading the top row of the letter like it was written in English." L took a look and gasped. When read in a more American style, the kanji read, "L do you know". "I see," L said, "This is a message from Kira himself. It appears he's leaving us a clue of some kind."

* * *

Back at his home, Kisuke again hacked into his father's files from his own computer. "I think we're in luck Ryuk. The police have already downloaded the results of my little experiment. Now I know I can use the Death Note for my plan." Ryuk came over and observed the file. **"Huh. You had one inmate escape from his cell and run into a guard's bathroom, another draw some kind of symbol in his own blood, and a third right out a letter."** Kisuke nodded. "And it all happened exactly as I wrote it in the Death Note, word for word. Now I have one question before I explain further. What would happen if certain details of a death written in the Death Note could cause another person to die?"

"**Depends,"** Ryuk said, **"In most cases the Death Note will make it so that no one else dies while the note is being carried out. If the Death Note is used to make these other deaths, however, they can still happen. Of course, if there's no way for a death to be avoided the person whose name was written will simply die of a heart attack."** Kisuke nodded. "Okay, good. I'd rather innocent people not get killed in any way while my plan is motion. Now then, if you'll look in the Death Note you'll see I also wrote out specific details for the other three inmates I've killed, none of which happened, and I think I know why. It's because all of them were impossible to accomplish. And of course I wrote these out knowing this."

He pointed to the first note. "For this one I wrote down that the inmate would die in front of the Eiffel Tower in one hour. But of course, it's impossible for someone to get from a prison in Japan to Paris, France in one hour, so he simply died of a heart attack. For the second, I wrote that the inmate would draw a picture of L's face before he died." Ryuk put a hand on his chin. **"Oh I see. It didn't happen because you can't draw the face of someone when you don't what they look like."** Kisuke nodded. "Now  
the third one I was actually expecting to happen. I wrote that he would write a letter stating that he knew that L was suspicious of the Japanese police. But I guess the Death Note can't make someone suddenly know something that they can't at least figure out on their own."

He started bringing up something on the internet. "It seems even the Death Note can't pull off the impossible, but as long as something is within the realistic limitations of what a person is capable of, it can happen. Now to begin phase two of my plan." He stopped at a face. "This one will do. This guy is a drug addict who tried to rob a bank last week and failed. He attacked a few people and ran off. He should be perfect for what I have in mind." Ryuk looked at the picture. The man appeared to be in his forties, with black hair that was already receding. He had beady black eyes and a pronounced overbite. Ryuk saw the man's name as "Kiichiro Osoreda".

While Ryuk was looking at the picture, Kisuke finished writing in the Death Note. "All right then," he said, "One last detail. It's last minute but I know someone who can work for this. She actually had a crush on Light before he got himself a girlfriend." Ryuk seemed interested. **"Oh? What's this about?"** Kisuke smiled as he dialed a number on his phone. "You'll see. As surprising as it may sound, I'm as popular with the ladies as Light is." After a few rings, someone picked up. Ryuk couldn't make the words being spoken on the other end, but it sounded like a young girl. "Hey Yuri," Kisuke said, "I know this is kinda sudden, but I was wondering if you'd like to get together at Spaceland for a date." _'**A date?,'**_ Ryuk thought, _**'Just what is Kisuke planning here?'**_

* * *

Later that day, Raye Penber continued his assignment for L. Raye was young man in his twenties with short black hair and light blue eyes. He wore a heavy black raincoat over his usual business suit for the day. As he checked his watch while waiting for his liaison from Inaba Investigations, he spotted his target, Kisuke Kitamura. _'There he is,'_ Raye thought, _'I hope he doesn't get too far away.'_ Suddenly there came a call on his cell phone. "Hello?," he said into the receiver. 'Mr. Raye Penber I presume,' came the voice on the other end, 'My name is Light Yagami, from Inaba Investigations. Sorry for not meeting you in person, but I thought it might attract unwanted attention.' "That's fine," Raye said, "I've already spotted the target. May I ask where you are now?"

On his end, Light spoke into his cell phone. He was now wearing his leather winter jacket. "I'm at the bus stop heading for Spaceland. I'm with someone right now to make myself less conspicuous. I assume you already have the file on me from L, so it should be easy to recognize me." 'Of course,' Raye said, 'Very well. This will be my last day on this assignment, and for now I can't see anything that makes Kisuke stand out as possibly being Kira.' "Understood," Light said, "I'll contact you afterward." He hung up. Rise was standing next to him, wearing her pink parka with the word "lovers" on the top left side. "You really think something will happen on this bus?" Light nodded. "If things are going as they have in my dream, then Kira will be here. And he'll be looking for the name of the one following him."

Meanwhile, Kisuke was meeting up with Yuri, the girl he had called earlier. She was a very pretty young woman, with long black and auburn eyes. She was wearing her Daikoku Academy girls uniform out of sheer habit, and had a light brown fur parka over it. "Hey there," she said when she saw Kisuke, "Thanks for asking me out for this. I haven't been to Spaceland since junior high." Kisuke smiled at her. It was fake smile, but real enough to fool her. As Kisuke looked around for the bus, he gasped. "Light?" Light looked over when he heard his name. "Hey, Kisuke. Didn't know you'd be out here." Kisuke and Yuri walked over. "I could say the same about you," Kisuke said.

Yuri took a look at the girl next to Light and gasped. "Oh my god! You're Risette aren't you!" Risette gave a peace sign and smiled. "That's me." After the Inaba murders last year, Rise had gone back to being an idol thanks to some renewed confidence from Light. Her return was greatly celebrated and she had become more popular than ever. Yuri couldn't help but feel jealous. "Wow Light. I guess this explains why you've been so unavailable." Light shrugged his shoulders. "What can I say? You can't truly love someone until you really get to know them." He spotted Raye standing some distance away under a pedestrian bridge. As the bus pulled up, Kisuke said, "Well, since we've met up, why don't we make this a double-date?" Light nodded. "Sure, why not?"

As the four of them boarded the bus, followed quickly by Raye, Ryuk couldn't help but notice the being that was following Rise unseen. It was Kanzeon, formerly Himiko and Rise's Persona. Kanzeon was a white female humanoid with a featureless face. She wore a dress with black and white vertical stripes, and on her head was a complex satellite with three dishes. In her hands she held an intricate visor, which was held over Rise's face obscuring Ryuk view and preventing him from seeing Rise's full name or life-span. **_'So she has a Persona too. I've heard rumors that Persona users are safe from a shinigami's eyes. I guess this proves it.'_** He followed the group onto the bus as it left.

On the bus, Raye quietly took a seat in the back on the left side of the bus, just behind Kisuke and Yuri. Light and Rise took a seat on the opposite side across from him. Kisuke noted Raye's position._ 'Glad he's still following me. This whole thing would be pointless otherwise.'_ Light took a quick look around the bus. A total of four couples, including him, Kisuke, and their dates. In case anything did happen, Light had brought the blade end of his naginata. He had bought the weapon a year ago to defend himself with while in the TV world. It was designed to split into two parts, a trait Light had developed into a unique fighting style over the past few months.

After several stops, a familiar looking man wearing baggy jeans and a thick winter coat boarded the bus. Kisuke smiled. _'There he is. Excluding him, there are nine passengers on this bus with no one in the way. Things should go smoothly.'_ It was Kiichiro Osoreda. He pulled out a semi-automatic handgun, chambered it, then held it to the driver's head. "All right pal. If you don't want a bullet in your head, you'll call up the Spaceland main office immediately. I know you have the number." He brandished the gun at the passengers. "And the rest of you, nobody moves, nobody gets hurt!" Raye was surprised. _'A bus-jacking? Talk about bad timing.'_ He then got a good look at Osoreda's face. _'Wait a minute, I know that face. He was on the news, some drug addict who tried to rob a bank and escaped. He's very dangerous.'_

The driver gulped, but complied with Osoreda's demands. He picked up the two-way receiver next to him. "This is Sasaki calling from Bus 174..." Osoreda pushed the gun against the driver's head. "Tell them what's going on and no funny stuff or else." The driver nodded. "There's a man here hijacking the bus and he has loaded gun to my head-" Osoreda grabbed the receiver from the driver's hand. "Gimme that. Alright, you heard him. Now I want you to get all of Spaceland's cash from yesterday. And don't go telling me there is none, cause I know there is. Have a female staff member bring it out to the second stop from the Spaceland entrance, and I'd better not wait. Any police get involved, and I kill all the passengers on this bus!" He ripped the receiver out of its socket and threw it on the ground, then stomped on it.

_'All right,'_ Kisuke thought, _'Now that everything has been set up, time to get what I came here for.'_ Keeping his arms out of sight of Osoreda, Kisuke brought out a pen and some regular notebook paper. He wrote something on it and showed it to Yuri. Raye got a good look at it. The note read, "Yuri, don't be scared. When he has his back turned, I'll jump him and grab his gun." "Don't be reckless," Raye said, "That's too risky. If it comes down to it, I'll take care of it." He looked over to Light, who nodded in agreement. Kisuke narrowed his and said, "How do we know you're not his accomplice?" Yuri seemed confused. "What do you mean accomplice?" "It's an old trick used by hijackers," Kisuke explained, "The first one comes in like he's working alone, while his partner has already established himself as a hostage ahead of time, ready to pounce if anything goes wrong."

Raye grumbled to himself. _'I have no choice here. It'll be okay, I'm sure Kisuke can't be Kira. Otherwise he could kill this guy with a heart attack.'_ He took out his ID and carefully handed it to Kisuke. His eyes widened when he saw it. _'So this guy's an FBI agent? I see. So L contacted a third party outside of the Japanese police. Now let's see. His name is... Raye Penber.'_ Satisfied, he carefully handed Raye's ID back to him. "Alright," Kisuke said, "I trust you. And I guess I won't ask what an FBI agent is doing on this bus. You have a gun?" "Of course," Raye said. Kisuke slowly nodded, then slipped his hand into his pocket. Inside was a different scrap of paper from the one he had shown Yuri earlier. Casually, he drew his hand back out in such a way that it caused the paper to fall to the ground.

Kisuke deliberately went to grab for it, attracting Osoreda's attention. "Hey, you there!," he said, heading to the back, "Don't move!" He then spotted the scrap of paper. "Oh, you were planning something back here huh?" Eyeing each other, Light and Raye carefully reached for their weapons. But when Osoreda opened up the scrap of paper, he saw something different written on it. "Plans for a date, huh? Do yourself a favor kid, next time don't risk your life for something so trivial." He tossed the paper back at Kisuke and walked back to the front of the bus. However, as the bus came out from under a bridge, Osoreda was shocked by a dark shadow behind him.

Turning around slowly, his eyes fell on Ryuk. Naturally since Osoreda hadn't seen him until just then, he became scared. "Hey you...," he said while pointing his gun at Ryuk, "You in the back there... How long have you have been hiding there?" Ryuk quickly realized Osoreda was talking to him. **"Oh. So you can see me, can you?"** "Don't screw with me," Osoreda said, terrified, "Who are you?!" _'Not good,'_ Raye thought, unable to see Ryuk, _'He's starting to hallucinate.'_ "Everyone get down!" The entire bus, save for the driver, ducked their heads. Kisuke moved his hands to shield Yuri and smiled. It didn't take long for Ryuk to understand why. **"Oh I get it. That little scrap of paper Kisuke 'accidently' dropped was torn from the Death Note. Which means this guy is the only other person on the bus who can see me."**

Ryuk laughed at the terror in Osoreda's face. **"That was quite clever of him really. He even managed to use this bus-jacking as a way to get the name of his stalker. Well considering how intelligent he is, I really shouldn't be so surprised." **Osoreda pointed his gun at Ryuk and fired, but the bullet just passed harmlessly through Ryuk's body and struck the back window. Panicked, Osoreda fired off several more shots. Ryuk chuckled. **"Sorry. I'm a shinigami. Your bullets aren't gonna kill me. I have to stick around the Death Note is finished or I see you die. Whichever comes first."** Now truly terrified, Osoreda kept firing, completely shattering the back window. Light quickly shielded Rise from the impact.

Finally, Osoreda's gun ran out of bullets. Panic-stricken, he grabbed the driver and yelled, "Stop the bus and let me off right now!" The bus stopped, and Osoreda stumbled out. No sooner had he done so however, then a passing car struck him in the head, killing him instantly. Light and Raye ran to check on him. Just to be safe, Light checked his watch. "Eleven-forty-five...," he muttered. Kisuke checked his own watch._ 'Eleven-forty-five on the dot. Just like I wrote it. It all went according to plan.'_ Earlier, Kisuke had written in the Death Note, "Kiichiro Osoreda, traffic accident. Boards the eleven-thirty-one Spaceland-bound bus near the eastern entrance to the park holding a loaded gun and attempts to hijack the bus. He sees a horrific phantom and empties his gun trying to kill it. Terrified, he flees the bus. Immediately afterwards at eleven-forty-five, he dies when struck by a car."

It had all happened, word for word, and Kisuke was sure the police would write this off as just another unfortunate accident since it didn't fit Kira's usual MO. After all, the police had no idea that Kira could kill in ways other than a heart attack. Kisuke had only chosen that MO since it was the default manner of death for the Death Note. If he wanted to kill someone without attracting police attention, he could use a different method, like he had now. He smiled to himself. Everything up until that point was prepared to the last detail, with the exception of Light's arrival. Not that it had mattered in the long run. Looking at Raye, still standing there in shock, Kisuke thought to himself, _'You'll be next Raye Penber. The Death Note never fails.'_

Next chapter: Tactics

"If the time of death is written within forty seconds after writing the cause of death as a heart attack, the time of death can be manipulated, and the time can go into effect within forty seconds after writing the name."

**The Death Note never fails. Or does it...? Read and review people.**


	5. Chapter 5: Tactics

**Does the Death Note never fail? Prepare to find out. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"The human who touches the Death Note can recognize the image and voice of its original owner, a god of death, even if the human is not the owner of the note."

Chapter 5: Tactics

Kiichiro Osoreda was lying dead in a pool of his own blood. Only moments ago he had been struck by an oncoming car after fleeing from a bus he had been trying to hijack. And although no one realized it, Osoreda had in fact been killed by Kisuke Kitamura, using the Death Note. As Kisuke led Yuri off the bus, he was approached by Raye. "Listen," he said, "You should know I'm here on special assignment for the FBI, so..." Kisuke nodded. "Don't worry. I won't tell the police we've been in contact, and that includes my father." Rate nodded, then headed off. _'I really wouldn't want the police to know I've been in contact with an FBI agent anyway. My dad would be sure to inform Chief Yagami, who would no doubt inform L.'_

* * *

Light met Teddie in secret after returning to Inaba later that evening. "Teddie," he said, "In one week, Kira is going to try and kill Raye Penber, and the other FBI agents as well. I need you to follow Raye quietly when that happens, and see if you can't find out anything about Kira's identity." Teddie nodded. "Should I try and save Raye too?" Light lowered his head. "Truth be told, I'm afraid we may be past the point of saving him. If I'm right, Kira already has his name somehow." Teddie looked sad. "I see. Oh, I guess I should wear something other my usual outfit, huh? I'd stick out like a sore thumb dressed like this." Light nodded. "Of course, you can't go around in your bear suit either. Kira would know something is up and run for it. After all, a kids' mascot would be a pretty rare sight on a subway. Don't worry, I've some clothes you can borrow."

* * *

Naomi Misora sat in the hotel she was sharing with her fiancee Raye. She was a very attractive young woman, with long raven black hair and dark hazel eyes. She was dressed in a simple black sweater and long black skirt with matching stockings. As she sat reading, she heard the door open and looked to see Raye walk in. He sat down in the chair across from her and sighed. "What's wrong Raye?," she asked, "You only sigh like that after something serious happens." Raye looked at her. "Well, the craziest thing happened. While on my assignment, the bus I was on got hijacked. Some drug addict who tried to rob a bank earlier in the week. I guess he wanted to try something smaller this time. Anyway, he freaked out, ran off the bus and was struck by a car."

Naomi showed interest. "Did he die?" Raye shrugged. "I guess. I didn't really stick around long enough to see for sure." Naomi narrowed her eyes. "That seems a little too coincidental. I mean, the bus you're on just happens to be hijacked?" Raye chuckled. He knew what she was thinking. "I highly doubt Kira had anything to do with that. His MO is to use heart attacks, remember? I know you were once an excellent FBI agent, but you agreed to retire after we got engaged." Naomi calmed down and smiled. "You're right, I suppose. I guess I miss the action too much." "Well," Raye said, "Once we have a few kids, you'll have enough excitement to take your mind off that sort of thing."

* * *

Kisuke sat at his desk and opened the Death Note. **"You gonna write that agent's name?,"** Ryuk asked. Kisuke shook his head. "That would be foolish and stupid. Not to mention it would attract too much attention. I actually plan on getting rid of all the agents L has sent for at once. But to do that, I'll need some time to experiment with the Death Note. I'll wait a week first. That will also give the FBI time to investigate other potential suspects." He looked through the list of inmates. "I'll start with a few of the inmates I've left alive and try a few new things. This should prove interesting." He began to write.

* * *

A few days later, L got another call from Watari. _"We have another letter from a deceased inmate killed by Kira. I'm sending it to you now."_ L looked at the letter. "This appears to be a suicide note. I wonder... Yes there it is. Another message from Kira, hidden in code. 'Gods of death'." Light gasped at the sentence L had just uttered. _'Gods of death? Shinigami? Is it true then? Does Kira have a Death Note?' _"What do you make of this Light?," L asked, "It appears to be a continuation of Kira's first message. Perhaps he's trying to tell us gods of death exist. Seems absurd to me." Light nodded nervously. "Trust me L, if you'd seen the things I have, you wouldn't be so quick to say that."

L placed one of the candies he had bought in his mouth. "Perhaps you're right. After all, Narukami actually had to face off against Izanami herself several months ago. In any event it's clear that Kira's full message is still incomplete." He switched on his mic. "**Watari, have Chief Yagami monitor prison populations closely. If my hunch is correct, Kira will attempt to contact us again using more suicide notes.**" _"Understood,"_ Watari said. L switched of the mic. He then noticed how much Light was shaking. "You seem tense Light. Anything wrong?" Light nodded. "I believe something may be very wrong L. Kira is just getting started, and I believe what we've seen so far is merely the calm before the storm."

* * *

Kisuke was standing near a cafe in the local subway station. He was wearing a grayish-brown tracksuit and black ski cap. He had also replaced his glasses with colored contacts to avoid recognition. "Everything I've done for the past week has been leading up to this," he told Ryuk. Ryuk chuckled. **"So I guess that means you're finally ready to pull this off."** Kisuke nodded. "I've been experimenting on known criminals in this area to avoid detection. I tried various killing techniques and have learned quite a bit about the Death Note. In particular, there are two things I needed to know for my plan to work. First, I've learned that you can actually make someone you're going to kill with the Death Note kill someone else with the same Death Note."

"**I see," **Ryuk said, **"And what's the second thing?"** "The second thing I've learned is perhaps even more important," Kisuke said, "I've learned that if you write a cause and time of death and the details leading up to death, and then write a person's name in front of it, it will still happen." He soon saw Raye walking down the subway path. Kisuke smiled. "There he is, right on time." What Kisuke didn't see was Teddie carefully following Raye from a distance. He had changed into a pair of loose-fit blue jeans and a black hoodie, as well as a blue baseball cap and dark sunglasses. He acted as nonchalant as possible, standing around casually as he sipped a coffee he had bought, moving only when it looked like Raye would get too far ahead.

As Teddie watched, Kisuke came up behind Raye as he passed by. "Mr. Raye Penber," Kisuke whispered, making himself sound as sinister as possible, "Turn around and you're dead." Raye stopped in his tracks. The next words he heard sent chills down his spine. "I am Kira." Raye stood stock still. Kisuke smiled. Now he had the agent in the palm of his hand. "That's right. Turn around and you're dead. Now before we begin, I'm going to prove to you that I'm Kira. You see that janitor in front of the coffee shop?" Raye looked to where Kisuke indicated. Sure enough, standing there was a young man in a coffee shop uniform with red spiky hair and glasses, casually mopping around the entrance as he whistled.

"I'm gonna kill that man just for you," Kisuke said, "To prove I am who I say I am." Teddie had carefully moved to try and better hear what the person standing behind Raye was saying. He had overheard the name Kira, and was certain the person standing there in the tracksuit was him. He hated to keep out of eyesight of the two of them, but it was necessary to maintain cover. Just then, the janitor in front of the coffee shop clutched his chest in pain and collapsed on the floor. It didn't take long people to take notice and crowd around his fallen body. Teddie's eyes widened. _'He just died of a heart attack. This is Kira's work for sure. But why kill him?'_

Raye was just as surprised. He stared in shock at the spectacle that had unfolded before him. Just like that, the janitor had fallen to the ground, dead from a heart attack. "Sorry to have to do that," Kisuke said, "But if I didn't kill someone you wouldn't believe me. However, I'm not in the business of killing innocent people, as you well know. That man I just killed has been suspected of multiple cases of sexual assault. Up until now he's escaped justice due to lack of evidence. So then, if you don't believe me yet, perhaps I can kill someone else here. You've already heard from L, I'm sure, that I can't kill just anyone. I have to see their face first. So, why not pick someone?"

"No," Raye said, panic in his voice, "I believe you... You're Kira." Kisuke chuckled. "Well, that's got your attention at least. But in order to make sure you'll do what I say, you should consider those closest to you the real hostages here. I speak of course of your loved ones." Raye's eyes widened. His thoughts quickly turned to Naomi. "How do you know about her?" Kisuke smiled. Of course he didn't really know about the person Raye was referring to, but he had to act like he did. "Oh I know all about your girlfriend. You see, I've been investigating you. So if you don't do as I say, I promise she, as well as the rest of your family, will die. That includes you of course."

The whole time Kisuke talked, Raye was thinking to himself, _'That voice. That voice sounds so familiar.'_ "I see you have your laptop with you," Kisuke said, "I want the file containing the names of your fellow FBI agents assigned to this case." Raye looked down at the case containing his laptop. "I do have my laptop with me, the one I use for work. But I'm afraid I don't the file in question." _'Too bad,' _Kisuke thought, _'But so much the better.'_ "Very well then." He handed Raye a brown manilla envelope. "Take the transceiver in this envelope and hide it in your jacket. Then put the earpiece in your ear."

Raye took out the transceiver. It looked like child's toy. Kisuke had selected it because it was untraceable and could allow him to communicate with Raye from a short distance, even underground. Once Kisuke saw that Raye had done as he asked, he walked backward and disappeared into the crowd. Teddie tried to get a good look at Kisuke's face as he passed him without looking suspicious, but wasn't able to. Raye just stood there, afraid to move for fear of Kira killing him if he took even one step without permission. 'All right then,' Kisuke said over the transceiver, 'You're gonna get on the Yamanote line as soon as it arrives. North-bound or south-bound, it doesn't matter. Take the seat closest to the door. If it's occupied, wait until it's empty.'

As soon as Teddie saw Raye and the man he assumed was Kira get on the subway train through two different doors, he boarded the same train via a third door. Sitting as close as he could to Raye without drawing attention from either him or Kira, he saw that Raye had something in his ear. _'Looks like Kira may be holding Raye hostage. Light was right. He's trying to kill all the FBI agents L sent for.'_ He turned his head nonchalantly in an attempt to hear what was being said over the transceiver better. 'Now then Mr. Penber,' Kisuke said, 'I would like to know how many of your fellow FBI agents are here in Japan. Don't make it obvious when you answer.' Raye carefully pulled on his jacket and whispered, "I believe there are twelve agents, consisting of three four-man teams." Naturally Raye couldn't reveal that the FBI was working with Inaba Investigations.

'All right then,' Kisuke said, 'Take the note pages out of the envelope. On the top space provided, you're gonna right the name of your superior.' Raye took out the pages in question and looked confused. The note pages were slipped into some sort of paper envelopes, with rectangles cut horizontally into them and spaced several inches apart. Raye complied and wrote down the name of his superior in the group in the first space. After a second, Kisuke's voice came up again. 'Now then, any minute your superior is going to send you a file via e-mail containing the names and faces of your fellow agents. Check now to make sure it arrived.'

Raye opened his laptop and turned it on. Sure enough, there was the file. 'Alright,' Kisuke said, 'Now one by one, you're going to look at the photo of each agent and write their name in the space provided. Do this for each agent.' From his vantage point in the adjacent car, Kisuke watched in delight as Raye started writing the names one at a time. Raye was confused. _'I don't get this. If he has the names already why use me?'_ When Kisuke saw that Raye was done he said, "Okay good. Now place the envelope on the rack above you. You're then gonna ride the line for at least another forty-five minutes. When you're sure no one will notice you leaving without the envelope, you're free to leave the train."

After the time had passed, Raye took a look at Teddie, who had pretended to fall asleep waiting for the line to arrive at the station. Making sure no one else was around, Raye got up and starting to exit the train. _'I know I've heard Kira's voice before, but where.'_ Teddie lifted his head. _'This isn't good, Raye's gonna die any second now. I wish I could do something. If only... If... Only...'_ Suddenly Teddie's head jerked back. Time around him seemed to stop in an instant and the world seemed to take on a grayish color. Looking around him, Teddie's eyes rested on Raye Penber. As he looked, something rose up from the ground behind him. It looked just like Raye, but had bright yellow eyes and was surrounded by a dark aura.

Teddie knew in an instant what he was looking at. _'That's Raye's shadow. Did I call him forth?' _The Shadow Raye looked back at Teddie. Nodding, it seemed to pass into Raye's body. _'Raye just got possessed by his own shadow,'_ Teddie thought, _'What does this mean?'_ Before he could think any further, time started up again and the color returned to normal. Raye suddenly felt a cold chill and turned around to see what was going on. Seeing nothing, he pulled up his coat and walked off. Teddie, meanwhile, rushed off the train via the same door he had entered and headed for the nearest bathroom.

"**Well that was odd,"** Ryuk said when he saw that Raye hadn't died, **"I clearly saw you write Penber's name in the Death Note."** Kisuke nodded and took the envelope Raye had left behind it. "Is there anything that can interrupt the Death Note's power?" Ryuk nodded. **"I've heard of a few things. Usually it takes some pretty powerful magic to accomplish something like that. Too bad we can't just try again. Once a human's name has been written in the Death Note, you can't write it a second time."** "That is too bad," Kisuke said as he pulled the Death Note pages he had hidden in the paper envelops out, "Not that it matters I suppose. Thanks to my manipulation of Penber, I've managed to kill the other eleven agents. And with all of them receiving the same file, no one will know who made contact with me."

Ryuk chuckled. **"You're betting that'll force the FBI to pull out, and that includes Penber."** Kisuke nodded. "Besides, after what I put him through he'll be too scared to continue his investigation. I just wish I knew what had caused him to survive." Meanwhile, Teddie had run into the men's room at the station. Splashing some water on his face from the sink, he looked into the mirror and gasped. His normally blue eyes had taken on a yellow hue. That soon faded however, and his eyes returned to their normal color. Picking up his cell phone, he called Light. "Light, it's Teddie. You're not gonna believe this but, I did it... I saved Raye Penber..."

* * *

L had just gotten off the phone with the director of the FBI. "It seems eleven of the agents we were working with have died of heart attacks. The only survivor was Raye Penber. It seems Teddie really was able to save him." "How did Teddie pull that off...?," Labrys said, dumbfounded. Light was the most surprised of all. _'Interesting. Either Kira isn't using a Death Note, or the Death Note isn't as fool-proof as I'd been led to believe.'_ Just then Watari called in. _"L, you have a call from Chief Yagami."_ Light sighed. "I have a feeling Dad's gonna chew you out." Sure enough, Soichiro sounded rather angry. _"L. I've just gotten off the phone with the director of the FBI. He told that he recently sent twelve agents to Japan, and now all but one of them has been killed by Kira."_

L switched on his mic. "**My apologies, but some time ago I spotted a leak of information. I had the FBI brought in secretly to find the source of the leak. Please excuse me if you think this means you are now suspects in your own investigation.**" _"I can certainly understand you're reasons,"_ Soichiro said, _"But it makes us feel as if you don't trust us. And to be frank, there are many policemen here who don't trust you."_ The next voice to come in was Watari's. _"It seems we have another suicide note."_ L looked at. "Hmm... 'L do you know'... 'gods of death'..." He read the message in the last note and face-palmed. "'Love apples'... Of all the stupid jokes..." Upon hearing this, Yukiko started giggling. "I hardly see this as funny," L said as Yukiko doubled over in laughter. Chie smiled nervously. "It's a habit of her's."

* * *

Light had visited his family that night. It seemed Soichiro had wanted to speak with them regarding the case. Sitting at the table besides himself and Light where Sachiko, Soichiro's wife, and Sayu, his daughter. Sachiko was already in her early forties and was starting to show signs of age. She had short brown hair with matching eyes, and was wearing a purple blouse with a lighter colored long skirt. Sayu was three years younger than her older brother Light, with long brown hair tied up in a ponytail and light brown eyes. She wore a green turtleneck sweater and matching pants. Soichiro had his eyes closed and his hands clasped together. Light could tell that what his father was about to say was serious.

"I assume by now you've heard of the Kira case," Soichiro said, "Well you should know that I've been assigned to lead the investigation. However, it's proven to be more dangerous than anticipated. Recently, twelve FBI agents were dispatched to assist us, and now all but one of them is dead. It's clear now that Kira will kill not only criminals, but anyone who tries to stop him. Even now many members of the investigation team have quit." Sachiko looked horrified. "That's terrible dear. You should quit too. You have your family to think off." Soichiro shook his head. "I can't do that. I can't just sit by while evil prevails. I need to see this through to the end, even if it costs me my life."

Light closed his eyes and smiled gently. "Well, a wise man once said that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. I personally think it's very honorable of you to continue this investigation. And if the worst should happen, I promise to do my best to catch Kira and avenge you." He had said something similar in his dream a year ago, but now he truly meant what he said. Light's words seemed to bolster Soichiro's courage. "Thank you Light. You make me proud to be your father. Now I feel more confident than ever." Light nodded. "I hope so."

* * *

"Listen up," Soichiro said to the remaining investigators the next day, "We've now learned that Kira is more than willing to kill anyone who tries to get in his way. That even one of the FBI agents that were originally sent to Japan survived is nothing short of a miracle. But not all of us have that luxury. So right here and now, you must make the decision to continue this case or not. Weigh it out carefully. All of you have families to consider, people who would mourn your lose should the worst happen. But remember that if all of us give up here and now then Kira wins, and that could be even worse. So make your choice now, but make sure that if you decide to stay you are totally committed to this. I have no use for those with even the slightest amount of doubt in their hearts."

* * *

As Light waited for the police to finish deciding who would stay and who would go, he got a call on his cell. The screen showed an unlisted number. Light answered anyway. 'Hello there,' came a voice Light recognized as belonging to Naomi Misora, 'You don't know me, but you do know my fiancee. And from what he's told me, you also know L. I am someone with important information regarding Kira.' "I don't suppose you know who he is?," Light said. Naomi sighed. 'Unfortunately no. My fiancee had been briefly held hostage by Kira on the subway, during which time he somehow got the names of the other FBI agents. Now I promised my fiancee that I wouldn't do anything might put me in danger, but I believe I may have a very important piece of information that could assist you in your investigation.'

Light seemed interested. "Go on." 'For obvious reasons I can't tell you the information over the phone,' Naomi said, 'Nor can I reveal my real name. I do know that L trusts you, which means in all likelihood you aren't Kira. I'll send you a date and time to meet, as well as where we are to meet up. Please, I know this information will prove invaluable.' "Alright then," Light said. He looked at the screen of his cell phone. Sure enough, there was a text with the details of their meeting place. _'I just hope Naomi doesn't run into Kira before then,'_ Light thought, _'Or this information could slip right through our fingers.'_

* * *

Soichiro looked at the investigators remaining. They were five in number. Matsuda was one of them. The other four were Shuichi Aizawa, a man with a medium-sized black afro and matching eyes in a brown suit, Kanzo Mogi, a rather large man with spiky black hair and darker eyes in a blue suit, Hirokazu Ukita, a small and rather mousy person with a black bowl-cut and dark blue eyes in a lighter blue suit, and Hideki Ide, a rather serious looking individual with slicked-back black hair and matching eyes in a black suit. "So," Soichiro said, "Six investigators including myself. That's actually more than I could have hoped for." He saw that Watari was also still in the room, though he expected this.

L then came in over Watari's laptop. _"__**Very well then. I'm glad it's come to this. We are now down to a handful of investigators I feel I can trust. However, since I know that there are some among you who do not trust me, I intend to build that trust in the only way I know how. It's now time for me to reveal my face to each of you. In addition, you will meet the individuals that have been assisting me since the beginning.**__"_ "Hold on," Aizawa said, surprised, "You never mentioned that you had someone else helping you." _"__**Of course not,**__"_ L said, _"__**I couldn't risk Kira finding out about them and killing them. They are just high school students, albeit students of genius level.**__"_

Matsuda looked confused. "You went to some random high school and selected a few students to assist you." L chuckled. _"__**Not precisely. In fact these particular students are no strangers to solving various crimes. In fact, you may even have read about them in the papers. And why not, it's not every day a group of friends from a rural town such as Inaba have to deal with something as serious as murder.**__"_ As soon as L mentioned Inaba, Soichiro's eyes widened. _"He's had the help of Inaba Investigations since the beginning, the very team that Light and his friends formed out of a sheer need for closure for a lost love. So this is what Light meant when he said he would catch Kira. He's already been working on it.'_ He smiled gently. _'That's my son. He makes an old man proud.'_

* * *

"**I'll have Watari provide you with the details regarding our meeting,**" L said, "**I look forward to seeing you.**" He switched off his mic and looked around at the Inaba team. "Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "Our second act is about to begin. Despite Kira's best efforts, his plan to have the police find my identity for him has proven futile." Yosuke nodded. "And how ironic that it would be because he felt he had to kill off those FBI agents. That only served to scare away the majority of the Japanese police." L nodded. "So then, you all know where our first hotel is. I recommend you return home, say good-bye to your families, and pack for a long trip. We need to pack light so as to avoid weighing ourselves down, so I would recommend you only bring at most five or six changes of clothing. We leave in four hours."

* * *

Outside the NPA headquarters, Ide was arguing with the other investigators. "How do we even know it'll be the real L? For all we know he could just send in a stand-in, or a proxy." "I believe him," Matsuda said, "After all, he's been upfront with us from the beginning that he would need our help." Soichiro nodded. "I somehow got the impression that he was waiting for something like this. After all, almost as soon as we got started, several officers got scared and quit. It was immediately afterwards that the information leaks began. L wants to make sure that our task force is brought down to a smaller number of detectives that he can trust completely."

Ide scoffed. "If that's the sort of person we're dealing with, then I quit." He walked off back into the building saying, "Don't worry, I won't follow you. I'm not interested in knowing who L is." Soichiro sighed and checked his watch. "The first of our chaperons should be arriving within the hour." The plan had been for each member of the task force to travel by taxi to the hotel where L was with two members of the Inaba team. Soon enough, Matsuda has left with Yosuke and Chie, Aizawa with Naoto and Kanji, Ukita with Yu and Yukiko, Mogi and Teddie and Labrys, and Soichiro with Light and Rise.

"I heard Ide stormed off," Light said as his father got in the taxi. Soichiro nodded as he sat down. "I suppose it's in his nature. There are very few people he truly trusts other than Aizawa and myself." He looked over to Rise. Smiling, he said, "Well I'm glad to finally meet the lucky young lady you're now dating." "Come on Dad," Light said with a chuckle, "Now's not the time to embarrass me, we have a case in front of us. Anyway, there's a lot we need to debrief you on from our end of the investigation. And before you get out your notepad, L said that he won't be allowing any notes for the remainder of the case." Soichiro nodded, and began listening with interest.

* * *

Kisuke sat at his desk thinking to himself. _'I've been quite busy these past few days. Made a lot of risky moves. Not to mention there's suddenly a drought of information from the investigation team. There's no way L could have found the source of the leak so easily, which can only mean my plan has backfired and instead all but a select few investigators have quit the case. I should have realized L would catch on to my little plot. Now then, over the past few days I've experimented with the rules of the Death Note to better understand it, then put what I had learned to use to eliminate the FBI agents L had commissioned. I used the trick with the bus-jacking to find Raye Penber's name, then tricked him into killing his fellow agents. The only problem I can see is that Penber himself didn't die. He had followed the details I had written for him in the Death Note perfectly, but something prevented his death.'_

He leaned back in his chair. _'Still, I can't think of any reason to be worried. The FBI has pulled out by now, which means even if Penber hasn't already left the country, he won't be coming after me any time soon.'_ Kisuke rubbed his chin. _'Actually, now that I think about it, I mentioned his girlfriend and he didn't deny he had one. But what am I thinking about here? I'm only acting paranoid. What are the chances she'll try something that could jeopardize me. I'm safe. As far as I know, L is no closer to finding me than he was when this whole thing started.'_

* * *

L was looking out the window of the hotel room he had rented for the night. It was rather large and quite posh, and had a massive window with an exceptional view of the city. He had also rented five more rooms just like it, one for each couple within the Inaba team. _'Kira and I are drawing closer __together in equal steps,'_ L thought, _'And it won't be long before we collide head on. I've been waiting for this chance to reveal my face to the world. Should Kira find out about these little meetings, I have no doubt he'll try to infiltrate them. And that's just what I'm counting on. We'll see if you can find out who I am before I find out who you are, Kira.'_ He heard a knock on the door and walked over to unlock it. _'Practice is over, Kira. The real game begins now.'_ "It's unlocked. You may enter."

Next chapter: Unraveling

"The person in possession of the Death Note is possessed by a god of death, its original owner, until they die."

**Just as L said, the real game begins now. See you next chapter, please read and review.**


	6. Chapter 6: Unraveling

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"If a human uses the note, a god of death usually appears in front of him/her within thirty-nine days after he/she uses the note."

Chapter 6: Unraveling

The Inaba team and the task force stood outside the door. "Alright guys," Yu said, "Show time." Each of the Inaba team members pulled out a pair of glasses. Yu's were black-rimmed, Light's brown, Yosuke's orange, Chie's yellow, Yukiko's red, Kanji's silver, Rise's pink, Teddie's green, Naoto's blue, and Labrys' purple. The lenses appeared to be similar to TV screens, and they had SMPTE bars on the left side of the frame. "Those look pretty cool," Matsuda said, "Where did you get them?" Teddie smiled proudly. "I made them myself. They're no longer good for their original purpose, so these days we use them as a means to say, 'It's time to seek out the truth.'" Matsuda looked excited. "So what were they originally used for?"

"Matsuda!," Soichiro yelled out, causing Matsuda to jump, "Stop pestering him. It no longer matters what they were once used for." Matsuda slumped. "Yes Chief..." Yukiko started giggling again, causing the rest of the team to look at her nervously. Sighing, Naoto walked over to the door and said, "Okay. Are you all ready to meet L?" She knocked on the door. "It's unlocked," came L's voice, "You may enter." Naoto opened the door and the Inaba team entered the room. As the task force detectives followed they got their first real glimpse of L. He stood a few feet from the door, rubbing his leg with his opposite foot and running a hand through his hair. "Hello there, I am L."

The task force stood there dumbfounded, not sure what to make of the individual in front of them. Finally Soichiro snapped out of it and showed L his ID. "I am Detective Yagami of the NPA." The other detectives held up their IDs and gave their names one-by-one. Once finished, L smirked. Making a gun with his fingers, he called out, "BANG!" The detectives gasped, then Aizawa angrily said, "Hey, what the hell was that for?!" Labrys sighed. "You shouldn't have given out your names so quickly. What if Kira were among us? Next time think a little bit. We already know that Kira needs a name and face to kill someone." L grinned and walked over to the circle of chairs and couches in the sitting area of the hotel room.

"Before we get started," he said, "I must ask that you turn off all your cell phones, hand-helds and other electronic devices, then place them on the side table. It's not because I'm trying to avoid another leak, I just find them very distracting." He got into one of the chairs and crouched into it. In front of his chair was a checkerboard table, upon which he had placed some blank sheet paper and a felt pen. "One other thing. From now on I must ask that you address me as 'Ryuzaki'. The Inaba team will also be going by code names. Narukami will be Izanagi, Light Nobunaga, Yosuke Susano-o, Chie Suzuka, Yukiko Amaterasu, Kanji Rokuten, Rise Kanzeon, Teddie Kamui, Naoto Yamato, and Labrys Hippolyta. This will prevent Kira from knowing that you have met us on the off chance that he somehow learns of our meetings and bugs the hotel room."

The detectives and Inaba members all took their seats. "Say, Ryuzaki," Matsuda said, "If we know that Kira needs a name and a face to kill someone, couldn't we use that against him by preventing any more criminals from being broadcast?" L took a sip of his coffee, but found it too bitter and started dropping sugar cubes into it. As he stirred the coffee he said, "If we did something like that we would only put the general public at risk." "What makes you think that?," Aizawa asked. L took another sip of coffee. "Kira is childish, and he hates losing." Soichiro looked interested. "On what evidence do you base this on?" "If you remember back to the beginning of the case," Naoto said, "Ryuzaki directly challenged Kira using the fake broadcast."

L nodded. "Up until that point we thought Kira would only kill criminals. But as we saw, he didn't hesitate to kill my stand-in." Yosuke adjusted his glasses. "There's more. After Ryuzaki mentioned that he knew Kira was within the Kanto region, he made sure his next victims were exclusive to Japan. Almost as if he was saying, 'What are you gonna do about it?'" L took another sip and put down the cup. "Kira has met all of my challenges head-on, and he's never missed a chance to return the favor. So knowing that, what do you think Kira would do if we tried to use media restrictions to conceal the names of criminals?" The detectives racked their brains for a second.

Light adjusted his glasses. Making his voice more sinister, he said, "'If you keep the names of major criminals from me, I'll simply kill petty criminals, or maybe even innocent civilians. The whole world is my hostage, so whose it gonna be?'" He looked at the others and lowered his voice. "'I'm not the evil one here, but those who try to capture me are truly evil...'" He smiled and resumed his normal voice. "Something like that I think." Matsuda sighed and held a hand to his head. "Don't scare us like that Nobunaga. For a second I actually thought you were Kira." L smirked. "I can confirm that Nobunaga is not Kira, however he does think along similar lines and can anticipate most of Kira's actions. This ability has proven invaluable to the investigation."

He picked up the felt pen and uncapped it. "Now before we continue I would like to remind you all that you are not allowed to take notes on anything we discuss while we're here. Once you leave, you are to commit everything to memory." He started writing on the sheet paper. "Let's begin by establishing a timeline of major events from the beginning of the case to today. We start on December fifth, when we produced the fake broadcast. It was there that I first began to suspect that Kira at least had to know of his victims before he could kill them. Several day later, on December ninth, we discussed the possibility that Kira might be a student."

Aizawa narrowed his eyes. "I see were this is going. It was immediately after that when Kira started changing the pacing of his killings." L nodded. "And that's when I started to realize two things. One, that Kira can control when his victims die, and two, that he somehow has access to police information never released to the public. Knowing this, I contacted the FBI, and they sent twelve agents to investigate the police, arriving on December fourteenth. Next we jump ahead to December nineteenth. On this particular day, Kira decided to perform some tests to find out how much control he could have over a person he was going to kill."

Light turned to his father. "Dad, you remember on that day how there were six victims, and three of them simply died of heart attacks? Well, after we came to the conclusion that Kira could control his victims' actions leading up to death, I theorized that he had tried the same thing with the three inmates that didn't exhibit unusual behavior. Kira must have deliberately tried killing methods that were virtually impossible, to see whether or not he could pull it off." Yu nodded. "From this we came to the conclusion that even Kira can't pull off the impossible. When he controls someone, he has to do it realistically or else they just die of a heart attack."

"Anyway," L said, "I believe the reason Kira was doing these experiments is that he somehow found out about the FBI agents sometime between the fourteenth and the nineteenth." "I get it," Ukita said, "He wanted to know how much control over a person he could have before he tried it on the agents." L nodded. "Now let's jump ahead to December twenty-seventh. This is where we get to the important stuff, so pay attention. This means you Matsuda." Matsuda rubbed the back of his head and smiled nervously. "On this day," L said, "Kira attempted to gain the file containing the names and faces of the other FBI agents. And unfortunately, he succeeded."

"Actually," Mogi said, "There's something that's been on my mind since then. Why did Kira spare one of the agents?" Teddie looked at him. "He didn't. Or at the very least, he didn't mean to. You see, Nobunaga suspected that Kira would be attempting to kill the FBI agents, and sent me to trail one of them, Raye Penber. He was the agent who survived. And how it happened is a pretty weird story." He cleared his throat. "Penber was in Shinjuku on that day. Prior to that, Kira had killed a number of criminals, twenty-three total." "The reason for this was simple," L said, "The majority of them were decoys, and were killed so that no one would be able to tell which ones he was actually using for his plan. In truth, he may have only needed a few."

"These were all petty criminals, ex-convicts, or suspects in ongoing investigations," Naoto said, "From a legal standpoint they were still innocent. But I doubt Kira saw it that way." Teddie nodded. "Kira had met Penber at the subway terminal. My job while there was to try and find out about Kira's identity. Unfortunately, I was never able to get a good look at his face. He kept it hidden behind a hooded jacket. After a while, he handed Penber an envelope and told him to board the train. Naturally I followed behind them. I was able to catch some words from Kira being said over a transceiver Penber had hidden in his jacket. Kira had forced him to get something off his laptop and write something down on some paper that I presume had been in the envelope."

"I believe it was at this point that Kira obtained the names of the other FBI agents," L said, "How he found Penber's name I still have yet to determine. I also believe that Kira had already marked Penber for death and was manipulating him with whatever power he possesses. But before Penber could die, Kamui pulled off an extraordinary miracle." Teddie lowered his said. "You see the truth is... I'm not really human. I'm a living shadow." The detectives all gasped at this. Teddie nodded. "I won't go into too many details, but I will say that it's because of Izanagi and the rest of the team that I can appear as a human and stay in this world."

"Apparently," L said, "Kamui is able to control the shadows of others. Through this he was able to have Penber's shadow possess him and take the deathblow for him." "Wow!," Matsuda said in excitement, "That means Kamui is our secret weapon against Kira!" Teddie shook his head. "Not quite. I'm not even sure how I did it. It was a spontaneous action, and I was going on pure instinct. I'm not sure I can do it a second time. Anyway, I guess Kira figured it wasn't worth trying to kill him again and just focused on the other agents, counting on the fact that the FBI would have to pull out, and of course that would include Raye Penber."

Soichiro nodded. "So now that brings us up to speed, yes?" "Of course," L said, and he brought out several files and had Kanji start passing them around. "In these files you will find additional information compiled by the FBI agents. In particular we should focus on those suspects they had pinpointed between the fourteenth and nineteenth of December. For obvious reasons you are not allowed to take these with you when you leave." As the detectives looked through the files, Aizawa asked, "Why focus on those two dates in particular?" "Any suspects found between the nineteenth and twenty-seventh are irrelevant," Kanji said, "Kira most likely waited before attempting to kill the other agents after learning Penber's name because he wanted to give them time to investigate other individuals with possible access to classified information."

L nodded. "Rokuten is correct. I believe that Kira had to have come in contact with Penber sometime between the fourteenth and the nineteenth, in fact I have no doubt. And it was during this meeting that Kira somehow found out Penber's name. Now, one last thing before we continue. Don't take this the wrong way, but I must speak with each of you to make absolutely sure that none of you is Kira." He got up from his chair. "You should know... By doing this, appearing in front of you all, I am admitting here and now that I have lost the recent battle against Kira. But we are not just in one battle, we are at war. And it's a war I intend to win." He walked over to the window and thought, _'I'm very close right now, I can feel it. All I need is just one clue to get me going in the right direction, and we can start to narrow our search to a single suspect.'_

* * *

In his room, Kisuke was going over his recent activities in his head, marking down certain dates in a regular notebook. **"So you're not using the Death Note today?,"** Ryuk asked, **"Guess you're too busy studying for those college entrance exams."** Kisuke scoffed. "It's a little late to be studying for those when they're just around the corner. I'm actually making sure I've covered all my tracks over the past couple weeks. I've been most active between the fourteenth and twenty-seventh of December, and pulled off quite a few bold moves. I even suggested to L that shinigami are real, but I'm not sure he believes it." Ryuk chuckled. **"Wonder what he'd do if he saw a real shinigami? Freak out maybe? Most humans who see a shinigami for the first time do, though there have been exceptions."**

Kisuke rested his head against his fist. "Now's not the time for jokes Ryuk. I need to focus here." He tapped his pen against his mouth. "Hmm... Now that I think about it, I should be pretty safe. The riskiest move I've made so far was that bus-jacking. And since I didn't use my default method for killing, the police probably didn't even notice. The thing I'm most worried about is that Raye Penber is still alive, even after I wrote his name in the Death Note." He walked over to his bed and flopped down on it. "Of course, I don't see how that could lead anyone to discover I'm Kira. I scared him pretty good on the subway, and he'll probably keep shut for fear that I'll kill his family." **"Good thing he doesn't know you never actually found out about his family,"** Ryuk said, **"Or he'd blab for sure."**

* * *

The next morning, Naomi put on her raincoat and placed a note next to Raye before walking out the door of their apartment. The note read, "Raye, I'm heading off to meet with someone and give them a crucial piece of information regarding Kira. Don't worry, I won't actually be investigating him, in fact I plan on returning after I have delivered the information. But I believe what I have discovered is crucial to solving this case. Please stay safe until I return. Love, Naomi." Heading out into the city, Naomi walked to where she was supposed to meet Light. She decided not to tell anyone what she would be doing until she met with him, just in case she somehow bumped into Kira without knowing it. She also thought it would be best to make sure she was alone when she met Light.

_'This is a big risk I'm taking. But if I'm right, it's worth it. Raye had mentioned that he was put in a position where he was forced to show someone his ID, even though he couldn't remember who it was. He was specifically told never to do that. And a man who robs a bank and then goes on to a bus a mere two days later? That's far too convenient for me.'_ At a crosswalk, she happened to pass by Kisuke, who was heading for the NPA headquarters to deliver his father some lunch. The two of them never turned to look at each other on the way. Naomi never suspected that Kisuke was Kira, and Kisuke never suspected that Naomi had information that could potentially stop Kira. As Ryuk turned his head to look at the woman, he thought, _**"Why do I get a strange feeling of foreboding from her?"**_

Next chapter: Overcast

"Gods of death, the original owners of the Death Note, do not do, in principle, anything which will help or prevent the deaths in the note."

**Don't worry folks, I won't end this story TOO quickly. I still have a lot more to write here. So read and review, and then enjoy.**


	7. Chapter 7: Overcast

**Sorry if some of these chapters are too short for your taste, but they have to be to fit in with my game plan. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"A god of death has no obligation to explain how to use the note or rules which will apply to the human who owns it."

Chapter 7: Overcast

L observed the members of the newly jointed IVK, or Inaba versus Kira. It was the name he had chosen for their task force, though he had no intention of revealing what the acronym stood for to anyone outside of it. Sipping his coffee, he said, "Ladies and gentleman, I have come to the conclusion that Kira is not in this room." The NPA detectives breathed a collective sigh of relief. Soichiro lifted his head. "How exactly can you be so certain?" "I had already cleared the members of the Inaba team based on their psychological profiles," L said, "Though to treat everyone as equals I gave them the same interrogation as you. Having done so I am now one-hundred percent certain that our meeting place is secure. Truth be told, I had a number of traps just in case, but it seems that will not be necessary."

At that moment, L's cell phone went off. "Excuse me." As he answered the phone, Matsuda grumbled. "He tells us to turn off our cell phones but he keeps his on? Unbelievable." After a few seconds, L said, "Watari has arrived." The door soon opened, but instead of wearing his usual raincoat and fedora, Watari was wearing a more formal jacket and bowler hat, allowing everyone to get a better look at his face. He was a rather elderly individual, though still with a straight posture. He had snow white hair that was still abundant despite his receding hairline. His eyes appeared half-closed so it was difficult to determine their color, and he wore a pair of spectacles to better see. He also had a rather bushy mustache. His jacket was worn over a formal black business suit. He was also carrying a metal case with him.

"You must be wondering why I'm not dressed in my usual attire," Watari said, "You see if I did I would be announcing to the world that I am Watari, and that Ryuzaki is here." He took off his hat and coat and put them in a nearby closet. "Usually Ryuzaki and myself avoid showing our faces in public. The very fact that we have chosen to do so is a sign of Ryuzaki's trust in all of you." He placed the case on the table and unlocked it, taking out several ID cases. "For the purpose of investigation, you are all being presented with new IDs. You are to use these in the event you are forced to give out your identification for whatever reason." Soichiro looked at his. "I see. The name and rank are falsified."

"This is naturally a defense against Kira," L said, "Since we know that he needs a name and a face to kill, we will simply hide our names since hiding our faces is no longer an option. Also, for obvious reasons I would recommend not showing them in the presence of other policemen." Watari then brought out several belts with a curious device on them. "These belts are to be worn at all times. The thinner ones are obviously for the young ladies. There's a tracker hidden in the buckle that will allow us to keep track of each other at all times via Hippolyta. Additionally, when you press the button on the buckle twice..."

He demonstrated and his cell phone rang. "It will immediately send a call to my cell and display your name and number. I will answer immediately, but you will not see my name or number displayed. Now for additional security, we will not be staying in this hotel every day. Instead, at the end of the day, Ryuzaki, myself, and the members of the Inaba team will leave for a new hotel separately in groups of two and the rest of you will return to your homes. In the morning you will arrive at the police station as normal, and later in the day you will be contacted with the location of our next hotel. For obvious reasons, you are not to write down where the hotel is or mention it to anyone."

"This is so cool," Matsuda said as he adjusted his belt, "We're just like secret agents going after Kira." Soichiro growled at him. "Knock it off Matsuda, this is serious business here! If we screw up even a little we could all wind up becoming Kira's next victims! Now stop joking around!" Matsuda slumped again. "Yes sir..." Yukiko started giggling as Chie sighed. "That reminds me," L said, "Who is at the police station right now?" Soichiro gasped. "That's right. We didn't think to have anyone stay behind." L closed his eyes. "I see. It's best if we have one detective back at police headquarters at all times. I'd recommend each of you take shifts." Soichiro nodded. "Aizawa, why don't you take the first shift?" "Okay Chief," Aizawa said, and he headed out the door.

L turned to Light. "Nobunaga, I think now would be a good time for you to meet with the person who called you the other day. If you leave now, you should be able to make it." Light nodded and headed out. "What was that all about?," Ukita asked. L took another sip of coffee. "The other day Nobunaga got a call via the Inaba Investigations number. The person on the other end never gave their name, but said they had vital information regarding Kira. Don't worry, I'm certain it's not Kira himself. You see, the only people who would know at the time of the call that the Inaba team is involved would be those who had some connection to the FBI agents, like a family member for instance." Soichiro nodded. "I certainly hope that whoever it is doesn't run into Kira and reveal their intentions before Light can get to them."

* * *

When Naomi saw Light at the place she had indicated, she cautiously approached. "Are you with Inaba?" Light nodded. Naomi relaxed and sat down on a nearby bench. "I'm sorry for the secrecy, but I couldn't risk Kira finding out about me." Light nodded. "You mentioned your fiancee over the phone. I'm assuming he was an FBI agent or else you never would have found out about Inaba's involvement in the case." "That's right," Naomi said, "His name is Raye Penber. I believe you know the name." Light chuckled. "I see. That man must have the devil's luck to have survived when Kira killed off the other agents." Naomi laughed right back. "I'm not sure what miracle kept Raye safe that day, but I'm forever grateful. Maybe God is watching over us. But I'm getting off topic here."

She cleared her throat. "Apparently, during the course of his investigation, Raye just happened to get involved with a bus-jacking." "I remember that," Light said, "I was on the bus too. Right before the hijacker ran from the bus he freaked out and started shooting at something only he could see at the back of the bus. The police chalked it up to a drug-induced hallucination. He was an addict after all. We've never had reason to suspect that Kira was involved, since the hijacker died from an auto accident rather than a heart attack." Naomi nodded. "That's just it though. The timing of the hijacking was too convenient. This man had tried to rob a bank just two days before. Even if he was an addict, I can't believe he'd be so stupid as make a second hold-up attempt so soon."

Light narrowed his eyes. "That can't be the only thing that's raised a red flag." "Right," Naomi said, "Raye said he had to show his ID to someone on the bus. Then a week later Kira ambushed him, held him hostage, and killed the other agents. He may have also tried to kill Raye, but somehow failed despite knowing his name and face. From this I've thought of something." She turned to Light. "What if Kira can kill people in ways other than a heart attack?" Light put a hand to his chin. "That's an interesting theory. And if you're right, it means that Kira can use this to his advantage when he wants to make a more covert kill. And now that you mention it, I do remember Raye handing his ID to the person in front of him. The person in question had been suspicious that your fiancee may have been the hijackers accomplice."

Light never mention Kisuke's name, but this piece of information made him very suspicious of his schoolmate. "Listen," Naomi said, "If at all possible, I need you to get this information to L. You see, I used to be an FBI agent myself, before getting engaged to Raye. I had met L before, actually saw his face. It was a case we both worked on a few years ago. I know you're working with him to catch Kira, so please get this information to him as soon as possible." Light nodded. Naomi got up and started to walk off. Before leaving she said, "Make sure to give him the name Naomi Misora. He'll recognize it I'm sure." "I'll do that," Light said, "Good luck in the future." Naomi smiled and headed back to her apartment.

As Light watched her walk away, he thought to himself, _'When I last Naomi in my dream, I was Kira and had sent her off to her death. This had ultimately proved to be a mistake, however, as in doing so the information she had wanted L to receive had still gotten to him through a different means. Maybe it's because Raye is still alive, but Naomi has been a lot more careful in real life. And what she mentioned earlier. Kisuke... Could you really be Kira? And if you are, do you now have a Death Note? If so, you are already cursed, and it's only a matter of time before Heaven sees fit to punish you for your crimes.'_ He headed back to the hotel, knowing L would find this new information very interesting. _'L had been waiting for a clue to lead us in the right direction, and this is it. We'll see how long it takes to catch up to Kira.'_

Next chapter: Glare

"A god of death can extend his life by putting human names on the note, but humans cannot."

**And Raye and Naomi lived happily ever after... What? I know it's sappy, but as long as it's my story, that's how it's gonna be. Anyway read and review.**


	8. Chapter 8: Glare

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"A person can shorten his or her own life by using the the note."

Chapter 8: Glare

While the IVK was waiting for Light to return from meeting with his informant, they went over the various security tapes featuring the FBI agents. The hotel room they were in was outfitted with various TVs and computers, as well as enough sugar-based goodies for all of them. At that point Ukita had taken the shift to remain at NPA headquarters. "You know," Labrys said, "Ryuzaki must be rolling in dough, and I'm not talking pastries." L was busy placing various baked goods on a skewer. "I have my resources." As he worked, he observed the security tape of Penber's trip through the subway. Yosuke was going over the notes regarding this.

"So we have Penber boarding the Yamanote line at exactly three-thirteen, then he gets off at four-forty-five. That's almost an hour and a half." "Very unusual," L said, "Last time I checked, the Yamanote line only took an hour to complete it's circuit. Of course, Kira could have done something to make the driver slow down during the process of targeting Penber. More importantly there's the envelope." Aizawa looked at him. "You mean the one Kamui mentioned?" L nodded. "He mentioned Penber was given the envelope by Kira, and you can see in this still that Penber still had it when he boarded the train. But when he departs, he's not holding it. This confirms that Penber had left the envelope on the train as Kamui mentioned." He handed one of the skewers he had been working on to Aizawa. "Dough-kebab?"

As Aizawa took the skewer, there came a knock on the door. Rise went to answer it. "Oh, welcome back Nobunaga." Sure enough, Light walked in and took off his jacket, placing it in the nearby closet. As he took a seat, he asked L, "Ryuzaki, do you know the name Naomi Misora?" L started chewing his thumb. "Hm, that name does sound familiar..." He nodded to Watari, who looked up the name on his computer. When L saw that first face that popped up, a look of recognition washed over his face. "Ah yes, now I remember. She was the primary agent working under me during the BB murder case." "It seems her fiancee is Raye Penber," Light said, "And after his close encounter with Kira, I guess she wanted to make sure she wouldn't threaten them again."

Yu looked at him. "She's not planning on investigating herself is she?" Light shook his head. "No, she only wanted to pass a certain piece of information about Kira. You see, about a week prior to Kira killing off the FBI agents minus Penber, he and I got involved with a bus-jacking." Rise shuddered. "I remember that. I don't think I've ever been so scared. Humans can be so much scarier than shadows." L looked over to Light. "I'm assuming something unusual happened during the course of the bus-jacking." "That's right," Light said, "The hijacker suddenly freaked out at a hallucination and started firing at the back window. Also, Penber was put into a position where he was forced to hand his ID to a passenger."

Rise looked at the others. "After the hijacker ran out of ammo, he ran off the bus and was struck by a car. I'm pretty sure he died instantly." L started chewing his thumb. "For someone who was supposed to be hallucinating, it sure sounds like his shots were deliberate. You'd expect him to fire more randomly. Also, he was apparently lucid enough to take full control over the bus. So, I'm assuming Naomi also found something strange from this?" Light nodded, causing L to smile. "She always was an exceptional agent. So what the information she had found regarding Kira?" Light cleared his throat. "If what she's found is accurate, then it's possible Kira can kill in ways other than a heart attack."

This statement caused the rest of the room to gasp. "Whoa...," Matsuda said, "That's means there could dozens, maybe hundreds of victims we don't even know about." L picked up his skewer. "If Kira really can kill through other means besides heart attacks, I can see him putting this to good use. It's relatively easy to prove that a heart attack victim can be someone Kira murdered, not so much other forms of death like traffic accidents or suicide. Kira would realize this, and take advantage of it when he wanted to kill someone without anyone else noticing. Nobunaga, do you happen to know the name of the person Penber gave his ID to?" Light nodded. "His name is Kisuke Kitamura."

"What?!," Soichiro said as he bolted up from his chair, "But that's the Deputy Director's son!" "Calm down Detective Yagami," L said, "Just because Kisuke saw Penber's name doesn't immediately make him Kira. I'll admit it does look suspicious, but Kira is crafty. He may have found a way to trick Kisuke into discovering Penber's name and then got it from him, sparing Kisuke's life since he had never done any wrong-doing in his eyes." He got up. "We'll need some more concrete evidence before we move to arrest Kisuke. As you said, he is the Deputy Director's son, so we can't make a move until we're absolutely sure that Kisuke is Kira."

Turning to face the team, he said, "At this point we'll need to place wiretaps and surveillance cameras throughout the Kitamura household." "Wait, are you serious?," Aizawa said in surprise, "If we did something like that we could have a civil rights scandal on our hands." Yu turned to him. "It's better than just going right up to Kisuke and telling him he's under arrest on suspicion of being Kira with the little evidence we have right now. I'm sure if we explain the situation to Deputy Director Kitamura he'll understand." The detectives nodded. Soichiro turned to L. "Since we're going through with this, we may has well do it right. We can't have any blind-spots, and that includes the bathrooms."

"Naturally," L said, "Watari, when can we have the wiretaps and cameras installed?" Watari thought for a second. "Starting tomorrow, I can have them installed any time providing I know when the Kitamura family is away." L nodded. "Very well. We'll have Susano-o and Hippolyta accompany you to make sure the work goes faster." Light meanwhile was looking over the notes that Kira had used to offer an obscure clue to L. One had been writing by Kubo, another by an individual named Beyond Birthday, the third by the man who had killed Naoto's parents. _'L do you know... gods of death... love apples. I remember from my dream about a shinigami named Ryuk, who was crazy about apples. Whether or not Kira is Kisuke, it's pretty clear he had to have met Ryuk to offer this clue. Though right now there's no way to prove that.'_

* * *

The next day Kisuke got home and tried the door to find it locked. _'Guess my family's out for the day,'_ he thought as he reached into his pocket for his key. Walking inside, he was initially unaware that his every move was being watched by the IVK. Walking up to his room, he checked the door handle and then narrowed his eyes. As he opened the door, he saw a little slip of paper that he had placed in the door frame fall to the ground. As he walked into this room, Ryuk said, **"Hey there Kisuke. It doesn't look like anyone's in the house today. So you want to play some video games or something?"** Kisuke said nothing, but sat on his bed and casually patted it down.

He checked the door to his room real quick. After a bit, he grabbed his jacket and started walking back out. As he did, he subtly signaled Ryuk to follow. Ryuk looked confused, but complied. As he walked out, Kisuke checked his clothes. _'Doesn't look like they've been bugged.'_ Once he was some distance from the house, he said to Ryuk, "Listen. I have a suspicious feeling that there are wiretaps and maybe even surveillance cameras in my room." **"You sure?,"** Ryuk said, **"I saw that little slip of paper was ****still in your door."**

"That was just a decoy," Kisuke said, "I left it in such a way that it could be noticed easily. In reality, the real test is the handle. Normally when I close the door it rests in a horizontal position and won't go any higher. However, after closing the door I set the handle about five millimeters lower. Then when I get back, I check the handle. If it's all the way up, I can be pretty sure that someone at least opened my door. Additionally, I also placed a piece of mechanical pencil lead on the hinge of the door in a such a way that it'll break if the door is opened. Normally I take out myself before I enter the room, but when I checked the lead was broken."

Ryuk thought for a bit. **"I see. But how does that make you think that someone placed cameras in your room? It could have just been your mother or brother."** Kisuke shook his head. "I don't think so. My family wouldn't have noticed the paper, and besides that someone went through the trouble of putting the paper back in the door frame." He walked into a book store and made a few purchases. Walking back home, he said, "Say Ryuk, what about your apples?" Ryuk wondered what he meant, then a horrified look came over his face. **"That's right! The cameras! Once the apple is in my mouth it's invisible, but while it's still in my hand it'll look like it's floating!"**

Kisuke smirked. "Guess you'll have to go without then. After all, I did leave L a clue implying that shinigami love apples. And since you can't die, it won't hurt you to go without for a few days." **"That's just cruel Kisuke!,"** Ryuk said, **"I never told you this, but apples are to me what cigarettes and alcohol are to humans. I even get withdrawal symptoms, like twisting my body in all kinds of crazy ways."** Kisuke smiled. He had been expecting something like this. "Very well. If it's really so important, then you'll need to find all the cameras that have been placed in my room. Maybe you'll find a blind-spot." Ryuk nodded, smiling. '_**Clever Kisuke. Still, this could prove interesting.'**_

* * *

L, Soichiro, and Yu were watching the feed from the surveillance cameras. Kisuke was sitting in his room looking at a soft-porn magazine. "Well now," Soichiro said, "I wonder what Deputy Director Kitamura would think if he saw this." L watched with interest. "This isn't so atypical from your average high school student. Though to be honest, it almost seems contrived. The only reason he didn't want anyone to see what he's doing is because of these magazines? That seems too convenient." Soon enough Kisuke put away the magazine in a hollowed out textbook. After a bit, he was called down to dinner.

Kitamura's wife, Yuna, was down there watching a soap opera featuring Hideki Ryuga, a famous actor. Yu chuckled. "You know, Kanzeon once mentioned that Ryuga isn't nearly so charming in real life." "Not surprised," L said. He then picked up his phone. "Watari, we're ready for the TV message." It was something the IVK had planned on prior to placing the cameras. They would have message from the ICPO displayed on TV saying that they were planning on sending fifteen-hundred agents from all member nations in response to Kira killing eleven FBI agents. Of course this information was false, but L hoped it would incite some sort of reaction from Kira, whether he was Kisuke or not.

* * *

When Kisuke saw the message on screen, he thought to himself, _'There's a good chance they may have cameras throughout the whole house, which means this message has to be fake. There's no way the ICPO can afford to send so many agents at once. Even if they could they wouldn't broadcast it to the public, not after what happened to the FBI agents. This is L's work. I'd better not say anything that might make me look suspicious.'_ He finished his dinner, then opened the cupboard and grabbed a bag of chips. "Kisuke you just ate," Yuna said, "You're going to spoil your appetite." Kisuke chuckled. "It's just a late-night snack for studying." He walked up to his room.

Ryuk was resting on the bed. From how worn out he looked, it seemed he had made sure he found all the cameras. **"Man... I'm beat... I guess shinigami get tired when they work hard. Anyway, I think I found all the cameras. Now pay attention here Kisuke, cause I'd hate to have to repeat myself."** Kisuke set his textbook on the desk next to the chip bag. "Okay, let's get started." Taking this a signal that Kisuke was listening, Ryuk said, **"There sure are a lot of cameras in this room. I counted sixty-four total. I guess whoever did this expected you to find some at least. The worst part is I couldn't find any blind-spots, so how am I gonna eat apples?"**

Kisuke ignored him and opened the chip bag. He had made sure his TV and computer were off. Inside the bag, outside of L's view, was a miniature LCD TV, a pen, and a scrap from the Death Note. _'If I'm going to get over this little speed bump, I need to make sure I can kill criminals without looking suspicious. I've already set it up so that criminals will keep dying weeks in advance, but in order to avert L's suspicions, I need to kill a criminal that I should have no knowledge of. Here's where it pays to be ambidextrous.'_ As he kept writing notes in his regular notebook with his right hand, he put his left hand in the chip bag.

Sneaking a quick peek at the face and name of a criminal broadcast on the news, he wrote part of the name on the scrap. Afterwards he grabbed a potato chip and bit into it. He kept doing this until he had the criminal's full name written down. He then repeated the process a second time before taking the bag, crumpling it up, and throwing it in the trash. He then stretched out his arms and got back to studying. _'Now a criminal who I should have no knowledge of will die of a heart attack in forty seconds, and L himself is the witness to my air-tight alibi.'_ He sat back in his chair for a bit and saw that Ryuk was now a complete knot. He tried hard not to laugh at the sight before him. **"Yeah...,"** Ryuk said, **"This ain't exactly pretty."**

* * *

As L continued to watch the surveillance feed with Soichiro and Yu, Watari stepped in. "Ryuzaki, we have a report stating that a few minutes ago, a bank clerk under suspicion of embezzlement and a purse snatcher both died of heart attacks after being reported on the news." Soichiro rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's him again." L started thinking. "While that was going on, Kisuke's mother was still watching some prime time shows, and his little brother had gone to bed. Director Kitamura is currently at his office with no access to any news channels. As for Kisuke, he had been studying in his room with his TV and computer turned off."

Yu looked at the monitors. "Still, killing off petty criminals? That's a little odd for Kira." "I agree," L said, "Even though it's only been the first day, I'm growing rather suspicious of the Kitamura family. It's too early for us to end our surveillance right now. We should wait for a few days." He started chewing his thumb. _'A purse snatcher and an embezzler. Narukami is right, such petty criminals wouldn't normally by targeted by Kira unless he was planning something. Perhaps Kira is trying to avert suspicion away from the Kitamura family, which makes Kisuke in particular very suspect.'_

* * *

The next morning, Yuna called up to Kisuke's room. "Kisuke, it's trash day so be sure to bring out yours." Kisuke got up from his bed and pulled his shirt one. Yawning, he took the trash bag out of its bin and brought it down to his mother. "Here you go." Heading back up, he saw Ryuk had more or less recovered. **"Well, I can't say for certain whether you're very generous or else just a spoiled brat. But didn't you shell out 400 yen for that mini TV?"** Kisuke smiled. _'I realize it was pricey. But if I don't throw it out with the trash there's a good chance it could get discovered. That's all the evidence L would need to find out I'm Kira.'_ He watched in delight as his mother brought the trash to the garbage truck and has it disposed of, never imagining that she was inadvertently helping her son conceal evidence against him.

Next chapter: Encounter

"The human who becomes the owner of the Death Note can, in exchange of half of his/her remaining life, get the eyeballs of the god of death which will enable him/her to see a human's name and remaining lifetime when looking through them."

**Kisuke's as clever as Light, huh? But then again, he has to be. That's just how my story works. So read and review.**


	9. Chapter 9: Encounter

**You're about to see the difference between Light as Kira and Kisuke as Kira. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"A god of death cannot be killed even if stabbed in his heart with a knife or shot in the head with a gun. However, there are ways to kill a god of death, which are not generally known to the gods of death."

Chapter 9: Encounter

"Alright, start eating," Kisuke said to Ryuk a few days later. After having Ryuk make sure there was no one following him, he had bought some apples and was now offering one to Ryuk. Ryuk still had his limbs bent around his body in unusual ways, so he had to bite the apple carefully from Kisuke's hand. Soon after he finished it, his body went to normal. **"Jeez, I thought that would never end. Not being able to eat apples in the house... You know, you haven't been very nice to me lately Kisuke."** "Well right now I can't afford to be," Kisuke said, "Hate to say it, but until we solve this mess with the cameras, this is how it has to be. Don't worry, I have another plan to get L to back off."

He walked back home and into his room. Turning on the TV, he started noting the names of criminals on a piece of ordinary notebook paper hidden in one of his textbooks. After an hour or two, he walked out again. _'The Death Note says I only have to remember the face of the person I want to kill. It says nothing about me having to be looking at that person's face. So if I write the names of criminals on regular paper, all I have to do is remember the faces and write their names in the piece of the Death Note I keep in my wallet. This is important. I was able to fool L using the trick with the potato chips, but I only got an embezzler and a purse snatcher.'_

He finished writing the last of the names on the piece of Death Note. _'I can't continue to kill such petty criminals or it will only make me look more suspicious. Using this new method, I can kill a wider variety of criminals without raising any red flags. It'll only be a matter of time before L decides to move on to other suspects, leaving me in the clear.'_ He knew the college entrance exams were only a few days away. He didn't need the stress of having to work as Kira while under surveillance. _'Come to think about it, once I get into college, I'll have a lot more room to act as Kira. Things are really starting to pick up.'_

* * *

Light sighed. He and L had gone over the tapes many times, but had not picked up on anything suspicious. Or at least, not directly suspicious. "It seems we won't be able to count on Kira making any mistakes while we're watching," L said, "I suppose we have no choice but to remove the cameras and wiretaps." Light nodded. "Too bad no one in the Kitamura household gave anything away. We'll have to pursue another avenue. That is, if you still suspect Kisuke." "I do," L said, "Though right now I have nothing to prove my suspicions. To be honest, I still don't know how Kira is able to kill people. It may be possible that he can kill just by wishing death upon a person."

He took a chocolate cup out of its wrapping and placed it in his mouth. "Still, you'd think any normal human who does this would show some sort of psychological reaction, yes? Or perhaps..." He started chewing his thumb. "Perhaps Kira's psyche has reached god-like proportions. It almost makes one want to believe that these murders are the act of some vengeful god, and that Kira does not truly exist." Light chuckled. "Come on Ryuzaki, we both know that's absurd. Why would God need a name and face just to kill someone?" L smiled as he swallowed another chocolate cup. "You're right of course. Yes, I believe there is some mass murderer out there calling himself Kira. The only real trick is finding him."

He bit into another chocolate cup and began thinking. "We need some way to find out Kira's killing method. Ideally, we would want to get close to him... Earn his trust... Get to the point where he would show us how he kills. But... Could we even do something like that?" Light put a hand to his chin and started thinking. Then he got a brainstorm. "I think I may have an idea. But we'll need Izanagi, Amaterasu, Suzuka, Kamui, Susano-o, and Hippolyta as extra eyes for this." L turned his eyes to Light in interest. "Ryuzaki," Light said, "What do you think of the idea of becoming a college student?" L smiled and nodded. "That just might work."

* * *

Ryuk poked his head through through the ceiling and looked around. **"Looks like all the cameras have been removed Kisuke." **Kisuke breathed a sigh of relief. He then tapped his ear and started walking to the door. **"Oh I get it,"** Ryuk said,** "We still don't know if the wiretaps have been removed. Gotcha." **He followed Kisuke to the kitchen. _'Good to know the cameras are gone at least,'_ Kisuke thought, _'That means the police no longer suspect me. Though knowing L, he's not going to give up so easily. That's one battle I've won, but this war between me and L is far from over. Until one of us dies, this will never end.'_ He picked up an apple from the table and tossed it to Ryuk, who caught it eagerly and started munching on it. "Well," Kisuke said, "Time to get ready for the entrance exams."

* * *

It was a bright and beautiful day as Kisuke made his way to the To-Oh University entrance exams. The cheery atmosphere made Kisuke feel as if there was hope for the future. As Kisuke kept walked, he heard a voice call out, "Hey there Kisuke." Kisuke turned around to see Light walking behind him, along with some friends. All of them were dressed in formal attire for the entrance exams. "Hey there Light," Kisuke said, "Say, who are you're friends here?" Light nodded to the others. "This is Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Yoshi, and Rukia." Ryuk tried looking at the faces of Light's friends to confirm for himself. But other than Yoshi and Rukia, who were in fact Teddie and Labrys, each of them had another Persona covering their host's faces from his view.

Yu's Persona was Izanagi-no-Okami, a tall white male humanoid wearing a leather strap jacket. His head was covered by an ornate helmet, and he held a massive white sword with a golden ring attached to the hilt. Yosuke's was Susano-o, a male humanoid wearing a blue jumpsuit and sunglasses. He wore red gloved and boots, had bright red hair that stuck upwards like a roaring fire, and an industrial fan around his neck like a collar. He was surrounded by a steel buzz-saw. Chie's was Suzuka Gongen, a female humanoid dressed in black and white ornate samurai armor and carrying a twin-bladed lightsaber. Yukiko's was Amaterasu, a female humanoid with a featureless body that glowed bright yellow. She was carrying a silver katana, and had steel wings that resembled lilac petals.

Ryuk took a look at the ones Light had called Yoshi and Rukia and gasped. They also had Personae, but these were not covering there host's faces. Though there was good reason for this. _**'I can't see their names or life-spans. That can only mean these two are not human, despite there appearance.'**_ Teddie's Persona was Kamui, a large white ball with a red and blue bull's-eye on his front and stumpy legs. He had his face on the bull's-eye, with arms that ended in red orbs holding three golden claws each. He also had a red cape over his shoulders and a missile for a tail. Labrys' Persona was Hippolyta, a female humanoid similar to a Greek statue. Her breast plate and helmet were colored bronze, and she held a spear in her right hand and a shield in her left.

_**'I'm running into a lot of Persona users lately. I hope this isn't a bad omen,'**_ Ryuk thought as he followed the group to the exam hall. Little did Ryuk or Kisuke know, this was Light's plan. L had already arranged it so that all of them could take the entrance exams together, and had gone on ahead to avoid revealing that he was working with them. Once inside the exam hall, Light and Kisuke sat next to each other and began to take the exam. _'I've gone to great lengths to make sure we can all enter this university together,'_ Light thought, _'The only ones I'm really worried about are Chie and Teddie. The others are all smart enough to ace this.'_ "You there," came the teacher's voice, "Sit more properly in your seat." Kisuke looked behind him in interest. Sitting there was a young man who looked out of place amongst the students. It was L.

* * *

Gook and Deridovely were engrossed in a card game with Zellogi and Calikarcha. **"More and more shinigami have grown interested in the human world since Ryuk left,"** Gook said, **"I never would have guessed."** Zellogi adjusted his cards. **"Most just want to see what all the fuss is about, that's all. I took a look myself the other day. Seems Ryuk is now attached to a male high-school student."** Calikarcha looked up from his hand. **"That reminds me, I heard a rumor the other day that Gelus died." ** The three other shinigami looked at him in interested. Calikarcha nodded. **"Apparently, he somehow died after writing in his Death Note. The only other shinigami around at the time was Rem."**

Deridovely scoffed. **"If that woman was around when Gelus died, she'd have free rights to his Death Note."** Gook looked at him. **"You don't suppose she'll go to the human world too, do you?" "Wouldn't surprise me," **Deridovely said, checking his hand, **"Those two are known to be good friends. If Gelus did die after writing a name in his Death Note, it can only mean he had fallen in love with a human."** The other shinigami laughed at this. Not because the idea of a shinigami falling in love was absurd, but because they knew that would be just like Gelus. **"That guy always was soft for a shinigami,"** Zellogi said, **"Now I'm starting to think the rumors were true."**

* * *

At To-Oh University, the sky was filled with cherry blossoms. Just as Light had planned, he and his friends had all passed the entrance exams, with him and L tying for highest score. As Kisuke looked at Light, he sighed. _'Just behind him again, not that it matters right now.'_ The problem with Kisuke was that while he never got a question incorrect, he was a little slow in taking his tests and tended to miss one or two questions at the point the test was over. Light on the other hand made sure he got every question correct right on time, almost like a machine. At the freshman ceremony, the announcement was made for the Freshman Representative.

This year, however, there were two representatives. One was Light, the other was announced as Hideki Ryuga. It was, of course, L using an alias. As Kisuke observed the two of them standing together, he thought to himself, _'Those two look like complete opposites. It's like Light is the sheltered genius groomed for success, while Ryuga is the mad genius who gets by knowing all the answers ahead of time.'_ After Light and L finished their speech, they returned to their seats. L's seat was right next to Kisuke, with Light next to L. Yu, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Teddie, and Labrys were behind them. Ryuk decided to sneak a peek at L's real name. _**'Huh. Just L Lawliet. Kind of a weird name. Who would only give their kid a single letter for a name?'**_

L turned over to look at Kisuke, who remembered L as the student who had gotten in trouble for sitting inappropriately. "You're name is Kisuke Kitamura?," L asked his, "The son of Koreyoshi Kitamura, Deputy Director of the NPA?" Kisuke nodded, wondering where L had gotten that information. "Then I assume you are aware of the Kira investigation," L said. "That's right," Kisuke said, "I've actually taken an interest in the case." L smirked. "Then in that case, I have a little piece of information for you that you might find interesting." Kisuke turned to him, interested. "You see," L said, "I am L." Kisuke's eyes widened. He realized that he had played right into L's hands. _'I see. Even if this is just a stand-in, it appears L has caught me in a corner. Well played.'_

"There's something else you should know," L said, "I assume you know Light Yagami, the young man next to me." Kisuke nodded. "His father is a prominent detective in the NPA, working under my father. He's also known as a skilled detective in his own right." "Well," L said, "He, as well as the six individuals directly behind us, are all working with me in the Kira investigation." Kisuke narrowed his eyes. He hadn't just been caught in a corner, his face had been slammed into it. He knew of course of Inaba Investigations, the detective agency Light had helped form. But up until now he had no idea they had gotten involved with the Kira case. _'You've certainly set yourself up nicely L. I have to concede this round to you.'_

* * *

Kisuke returned home that evening and slumped into his chair. "L sure thought up one hell of a counterattack there." **"How do you mean?,"** Ryuk asked. "Well," Kisuke said, "For starters, I have no way of knowing whether the person I have just seen is really L or just a stand-in. Second, I can be pretty sure that the name he gave, Hideki Ryuga, is just an alias. Third, even is that is his real name, there's a famous pop idol who shares the same name. If I try to write that name in the Death Note, there's a good chance I'll accidently start thinking of the idol's face and kill him instead. That would really leave me wide open."

He leaned back in his chair. "And don't you dare suggest I make the eye deal to find out for sure. Even though I know Light is now working on this case, I can't kill him or L after having just learned this. The police will know it's me for sure." Ryuk nodded. **"I don't think it would matter if you made the eye deal or not anyway. You see, Light, as well as the six students L mentioned, all had Personae."** Kisuke looked confused. **"A Persona is a being that represents a person's inner self,"** Ryuk explained, **"Think of it almost as a representation of a person's ego. They have incredible powers, and will do whatever it takes to protect their hosts. This includes covering the face of their host so a shinigami can't see it."**

"Wait," Kisuke said, "Are you saying these Personae are invisible?" **"To most people,"** Ryuk said, **"Though there are certain beings, such as shinigami, who can see them no problem. Of course, any human who has made the deal for the shinigami eyes can also see them. Though I doubt this will convince you to make the deal."** Kisuke nodded. "Anyway, all this talk of Personae aside, it appears I have lost this round. L has found the perfect way to defend himself against me for the time being." He smiled. "I've lost... This time. But this is only a simple setback. Now that I know his face, all I need is to get close to him. Befriend him to the point where he reveals his true name, and then I can eliminate him." **"And what about Light?,"** Ryuk asked.

"There's no need to kill him," Kisuke said, "Not now and probably not ever. I know he's understands what Kira is doing. Besides, I've always had a great deal of respect for him, even as a rival. Killing him just seems too cheap of a victory. As for the others, I do know their real names, but two of them are believed to be something other than human which means the Death Note won't work on them. And having even one member of that group alive could be a problem, so I'm not going to bother killing any of them. I'm certain L is counting on this, which means he has plenty of backup if something goes wrong." He sighed. "L's caught me with my pants down. I can't do anything against him right now. What I need is to get close to him to learn his name, before he finds out that I'm Kira."

Next chapter: Doubt

"The conditions for death will not be realized unless it is physically possible for that human or it is reasonable assumed to be carried out by that human."

**Unlike Light, Kisuke doesn't fly off the handle when something doesn't go his way. Mainly because he's more used to it. So leave me a review explaining who you think makes the better Kira, Light or Kisuke. Read and review.**


	10. Chapter 10: Doubt

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"The specific scope of the condition for death is not known to the gods of death, either. So, you must examine and find out."

Chapter 10: Doubt

Deputy Director Kitamura sat at his desk at the NPA headquarters. Across from him was Soichiro, and neither one of them seemed happy. "So you're telling me that you can't divulge any information on the case at this time because L told you not you?," Kitamura said, "This case has been public knowledge for the past four months, and we've barely made any progress. The people are starting to call the NPA incompetent." Soichiro frowned. "With all due respect sir, do you have any idea how many detectives are still left on this case? Dozens of investigators have already quit on us, so how can anyone call those that remain incompetent. If anything, you should be covering up the fact that there are those at the NPA who would rather let a serial murderer run free than risk their lives. Even L himself has brought himself into the public for this, risking it all even as we speak."

* * *

Light and Yosuke were observing as L and Kisuke walked onto the tennis courts at To-Oh university. "From what I understand," Yosuke said, "Ryuga used to a be British tennis champion. I'm surprised you're not playing Light. You said you were a tennis champ in junior high." Light shrugged. "That was some time ago. Anyway, I'm not sure how Ryuga can profile someone based on a tennis match." L had decided on the game as a means to get closer to Kisuke and befriend him, all for the purpose of trying to determine if Kisuke was Kira. L took his place on the far end and started readying the ball. "Since this is our first game, what say we do a single set. Perhaps, best of six?" "Sure," Kisuke said.

L tossed the ball in the air and gave a mighty serve. Kisuke was so surprised at the power behind it he was too stunned to try and return it, and it went so fast Ryuk dodged it out of sheer reflex. _'Okay,'_ Kisuke thought, _'I didn't see that coming. Guess I should take him seriously. Friendly game or not, I plan on giving it everything I have.'_ In high school, Kisuke had been a member of the tennis club, and was the top player while there. Despite all the times he had resigned himself to being second to Light, he hated losing in whatever he did. That's why being in Light's shadow never bothered him, because he still felt like he had succeeded in accomplishing his goal. _'I'd imagine L has come to conclusion that Kira is the sort of person who hates to lose. However, it's human nature to want to win, so even if I go for the win he shouldn't suspect me providing I play the good sport should he take the game.'_

The two continued to go back and forth, and soon enough they were tied with two games apiece. The action was really starting to draw a crowd, much to Ryuk's amusement. _**'Things are really picking up. We even have an umpire and a linesman now.' **_Light could see the wheels turning in both L's and Kisuke's heads. _'If Kisuke is Kira, his plan would first and foremost be to determine if he's dealing with the real L, which means he'll need a third party. And an NPA detective from the task force would be the ideal source. On the other hand, L is hoping that by playing a "friendly" game with Kisuke, he can get in a position where he can analyze Kisuke's behavior and determine whether or not Kisuke really is Kira. And the way things are going, Kisuke may wind up slipping and revealing something incriminating.'_

The two players continued their fierce game, focusing as much on trying to read each other as the game in front of them. Finally, with a final return, Kisuke was able to win the game. Out of breath, he smiled. _'That had to have been the closest game I've ever played. He may not look it, but Ryuga is quite the __tennis player.'_ He decided now would be a good time to try worming his way into the investigation. As the two of them walked down the campus grounds, L turned to Kisuke. "By the way, don't take this the wrong way here, but you should know that right now you're a suspect in the Kira investigation. Of course, right now the odds of you being Kira is only one percent, but still..." Kisuke stopped in his tracks. _'Great, he went and made a preemptive strike.'_

Remaining calm, Kisuke said, "I'm a little surprised to hear you say that. I mean, do you even have any reason to suspect me?" L looked up and started chewing his thumb. "Well, not much. Just a few things that have popped up during the course of my investigation. Naturally I'd expect you to want to clear your name, so I hope you won't mind joining me and Light for a bit. The whole you being a suspect thing aside, I would like to get a good grasp of your deductive reasoning skills. From what Light has told me, you've helped him once or twice when he was stuck on a particularly difficult case. And anyone who can help a detective of Light's caliber peaks my interest." Kisuke nodded, wondering what L had in store for him.

* * *

The coffee shop that Light had picked out was very peaceful and relaxing. Most of the tables were isolated, and L had chosen one of these to speak with Kisuke. As Kisuke sipped his drink, he took a look at L's posture. "Is there some reason you sit like that Ryuga?" "Well yes," " L said, "If I sat normally my deductive reasoning skills would instantly drop by about forty percent." He took out a few photos. "Now then, I wish to test your own deductive reasoning with these photos. They are pictures of notes written by criminals who had died shortly after they finished writing them. I'd like to know your take on this."

Kisuke certainly remembered the notes L had handed him. After all, he had made those inmates write them. _'Naturally I know the hidden message in these letters, and looking at the back it seems these photos were deliberately taken out of order based on the code numbers. I can't immediately say that I know the message, or I could wind up looking suspicious.'_ He took a few seconds to look them over, then placed on the table. "Well, from what I can see, it appears there is some sort of message hidden in the top row of kanji. Although based on the sorting numbers of the photos, the message appears scrambled. Rearranging them in the right order gives the phrase, 'L do you know gods of death love apples.'" "Incorrect," L said flatly, "You see what I didn't tell you is that there is actually a fourth letter."

Sure enough, L brought out a fourth photo, which Kisuke knew immediately was fake. "Add this to the others," L said, "And the complete phrase reads, 'L do you know gods of death love apples and have red hands.'" _'That's got to the most absurd thing I've ever heard,'_ Kisuke said, _'Though it's obvious that L did this deliberately to try to get a reaction from me.'_ "I see, though given that I only about three of the letters I'd say my reasoning was perfect." L shook his head. "Actually if you wanted to be perfect, you would have realized that the message incomplete and there had to be at least one more card." "Well," Kisuke said, "I guess you have me there." _'Man, when L punches back, he punches hard.'_

He leaned back in his chair. "Though while we're on the subject of Kira, I've actually had a thought. You say you suspect me of being Kira, but what proof can you give me that you aren't Kira yourself? And even if you're not, I still have no reason to believe your even L." L sipped his coffee. "Naturally I understand what you're getting at. In order for you to believe I am L, you would naturally need some sort of confirmation from a third party. For example, a detective of the Kira task force." Kisuke nodded. He didn't know whether this made him seem suspicious or not, but he hoped it would at least get his foot in the door.

"Let me be frank," L said, "Right now I'm a position where having you assist the task force is in my best interest, regardless of whether or not you are Kira. If you're not, then your insight could prove useful in moving the case along. If you are, it means that I can more closely monitor you and perhaps find the proof I need." Kisuke smiled. "So either way you stand to gain. Though if we're being honest here, as much as I would like to join the task force, I can't. I heard about the deaths of those FBI agents, and I simply have too much to live for right now." As L started chewing his thumb again, his cell phone rang. At the same instant, across the coffee shop, Light's phone rang as well. Running over to where L and Kisuke were, Light said, "Ryuga..." L nodded. "I know Light. You're father's just had a heart attack..."

* * *

Soichiro had indeed suffered a heart attack, but fortunately it was a natural one. He was still alive, though confined to a hospital bed. L and Light had rushed over to see him, with Kisuke following out of genuine concern. "You gonna be okay Dad?," Light asked. Soichiro nodded weakly. "The doctors say it was merely stress caused by work. To be honest, at first I thought it might have been Kira." "Well," Kisuke said, "With so many heart attack victims, people forget that you can get one naturally. Just one more reason to be rid of him, I suppose." Suddenly he realized something. "Mr. Yagami, the man before us here. I'd like to know if he is the real L." He knew he wouldn't be seen as suspicious if he asked that, even to L himself.

Soichiro nodded. "He is indeed, though we've been calling him Ryuzaki." Kisuke closed his eyes. _'There's no way Soichiro Yagami would lie like that. So that settles it, Ryuga is indeed L. Now I have his face. All I need is his name and my biggest obstacle is gone. I just need to be patient.'_ Soichiro turned to his son. "Light, this recent occurrence has made me think. I don't think Kira is evil per se. But the power he wields, the power to kill people, that is true evil. If anyone were to have this power, they would surely be cursed." Light nodded. "I agree Dad. Kira may believe he is doing good, and in a small way his actions have helped society. But this is no way to rid the world of evil-doers." Kisuke put a hand to his chin. _'I see Light has changed much since he arrived in Inaba. He still understands Kira's motives, but now condemns his methods.'_

He followed Light and L outside after visiting hours. "Listen you guys, would there be any way I could possibly help clear my name. If necessary I would even agree to having myself confined with no access to TV or internet." L looked at him. "I understand your frustration, but if you're not Kira then just be patient and let things run their course." And with that, he and Light left in separate cars. "You know Ryuk," Kisuke said, "I've been thinking about what was discussed in the hospital. And I gotta say, I've never felt cursed since I picked up the Death Note." **"Well that's interesting,"** Ryuk said, **"Most humans who come in contact with a shinigami suffer nothing but misfortune. Though from what I've seen, you may be the first to break that cycle."**

* * *

Meanwhile at Sakura TV, a local gossip show, Hitoshi Demegawa was arguing with his co-workers. A rather heavy-set man in his late thirties with short black hair and beady black eyes behind a pair of yellowed sunglasses and a bushy mustache. He was wearing casual jeans and shirt with a red letterman jacket with a big "H" on the left side. "Come on people, just saying Kira's name isn't going to bring in the ratings, we need something huge here. I don't care if the police are tight-lipped about the investigation, we'll make something up if we have to." Just then a secretary came in and handed Demegawa a paper bag containing four tapes and a written note. Upon reading it, Demegawa begin to laugh. "Well now, a letter from Kira himself, huh? This is perfect, it's just what we needed! Oh man, this makes me so happy I may have a heart attack myself!"

Next chapter: Assault

"One page taken from the Death Note, or even a fragment of the page, contains the full effects of the note."

**Kira sending a message to a TV station? Is this for real? You'll have to read to find out, and leave a review while you're at it.**


	11. Chapter 11: Assault

******This chapter is based on one of my all-time favorite episodes of Death Note. My only fear right now is that I will unable to do it justice. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"The instrument to write with can be anything, (e.g. cosmetics, blood, etc) as long as it can write directly onto the note and remains as legible letters."

Chapter 11: Assault

Kanji was standing next to Watari in the hotel currently acting as IVK headquarters. "Things have been a little quiet lately," Kanji muttered, "While I'm grateful that there haven't been as many deaths, this also means we have to less to work with in regards to catching Kira." Watari nodded. "I understand your frustration Rokuten but... Wait, what's this?" Kanji had been channel surfing to pass the time and maybe find a lead. He had stopped on Sakura TV, and the name Kira had come up. After listening for a few seconds, Watari and Kanji headed for the main sitting room, where L was talking with Aizawa, Ukita, Matsuda, Rise, and Labrys. "Ryuzaki," Watari said, "We have a situation. Turn on Sakura TV." Rise picked up the remote and turned on the nearby TV.

Over the TV came an unusual broadcast. _"So you see, everyone at this station is being being held hostage by Kira. Beyond that, we feel we have a professional duty to air this broadcast. Five days ago, our producers received a letter and four tapes from Kira himself. The first tape predicted the deaths of two criminals recently arrested as proof that it was indeed Kira. As both of these criminals were later confirmed to have died of heart attacks, we are certain this is not a hoax. The second tape was to be aired on this date at exactly five-fifty-nine pm. We believe this tape may contain more death predictions, but beyond that, we believe it contains a message from Kira himself. And now, the broadcast."_ On the TV came a white background with Kira's name spelled out in messy diploma-style.

For a few seconds there was nothing, then came the sound of someone's voice being cleared over a voice-filter. _"_**_People of the world, I am Kira. If this tape is being broadcast on April eighteenth at exactly five-fifty-nine pm as I requested, then it is now five-fifty-nine forty-seven... Forty-eight... Forty-nine... Please the channel to Taiyu TV. The news anchor will die of a heart attack at exactly six-o-clock._**_"_ "Change it now!," L said. Rise changed the channel, and sure enough the news anchor was seen dead in his chair. "Change it back," L said, "And bring me another TV. No wait, make it two." Kanji and Watari rushed to retrieve the TVs. Meanwhile the Kira on TV was still speaking. _"_**_This man has openly spoken against Kira, and this is his punishment. Now as further proof, I will next kill the head TV commentator from NHN, who has also dared to defy Kira. Right now, he is scheduled to appear in a live broadcast._**_"_

L turned to Rise and nodded. Rise turned the channel to NHN, and sure enough one of the commentators was dead. "Alright, change it back...," L said. He turned to the TV as Kira continued. _"_**_By now you should have no trouble believing that I am Kira, so now I will present you with my message._**_"_ L thought to himself. _'If this broadcast is aimed at propaganda to gain support for Kira then...' _"We need to stop the broadcast immediately!" Rise, Aizawa, and Matsuda each went for their cell phones. "No good, "Aizawa said, "None of my contacts at the station are answering." Matsuda sighed. "No one's picking up at reception either." Rise slammed her phone into the ground. "Damn you, Demegawa! You picked a fine day to stop answering my calls!" Seeing his teammates' frustration, Ukita rushed out the door. "I'll stop that broadcast myself."

He rushed out of the hotel and into his police car. Turning on the siren, he rushed to Sakura TV as fast as he could. When he got there, he tried to open the door but found it locked. "Damn it," he said, and began pounding on the glass door. "Let me in right now!" The guard shook his head and crossed his arms in an x. Growling, Ukita moved back a few paces and went for his gun. But before he could move to fire, he suddenly felt his heart pound in his chest. Realizing he was suffering a heart attack, he tried to push the button on his belt, but collapsed on the ground before he could manage. This was seen back at headquarters, much to the horror of L and the others. "Oh my God...," Rise said quietly, "Ukita..." Aizawa growled and made for the door. "Whoa there cowboy," Labrys said, placing a hand on Aizawa's shoulder, "You go out there you'll wind up dead right next to Ukita."

Aizawa was livid. "Well, what are we supposed to do?! I thought Kira needed a name and a face to kill, but there's no way he could have found out Ukita's real name!" L was clutching his legs, visibly terrified. "Please calm down Aizawa. We need to think of this rationally. It's more than likely that Kira is either in the TV station or somewhere nearby, although there is the possibility that he may have set up surveillance cameras around the building. I don't how he managed to kill Ukita without knowing his name, but it's clear that he intents to kill anyone who tries to stop the broadcast." "Well then," Labrys said, "Why not send someone Kira can't kill?"

She stood in the middle of the room and extended her arms out to her sides. She suddenly glowed a bright red color, and before everyone's eyes, her arms and legs took on robotic properties. A metal headpiece resembling a helmet appeared on her head, and her trademark battle-axe appeared on her back. Her eyes turned from bright blue to deep red. Heading to the window, she opened it and started stepping out. "Wait a minute!," Matsuda said, "Why are you going out the window?!" "Fastest way," Labrys said with a wink. She jumped out and used the thrusters in her legs and axe to cushion her fall so she wouldn't make a crater in the pavement. She then ran full speed, faster than any normal human or in fact any vehicle, to Sakura TV.

* * *

Meanwhile in his hospital bed, Soichiro listened to the broadcast. _"_**_People of the world, listen to me. The last thing I wish to do is kill the innocent. I hate evil and love justice. I have always thought of the police as allies. I hope that we may work together to create a better world. Even if you do not wish to join me, I ask that you stand aside and be patient, for I will bring you a better tomorrow free from evil. So say good-bye to the world as you know it. I have sent two more tapes to Sakura TV detailing what will happen in regards to the police should they decide to either support me or defy me._**_"_ Soichiro frowned, and carefully got up from his bed.

* * *

The guards were soon surprised to see Labrys show up wielding her battle-axe. "One chance guys," she said, "You either open the door or I smash it down." Nearby, a person was watching as Labrys brandished her axe. In front of the person was a Death Note and a pair of binoculars. "No good, I can't see that woman's name. Without it, I can't kill her. Does this mean she's not human?" The guard shook his head and tried to turn her back. Labrys just smirked. "You're choice pal!" But before she could swing her axe to batter down the door, a police van drove past her and smashed through the doorway. Surprised, Labrys lowered her axe. "That works too..."

Walking into the lobby, she saw someone come out of the van covering his face in a brown jacket. She walked to get a better view. "Detective Yagami?! I thought you were in the hospital!" Soichiro smiled at her. "I was until I heard about this broadcast." He turned to the guard. "Now then, take us to were this message is being broadcast from." Flabbergasted, the guard simply nodded and led the way. Demegawa was surprised to see Soichiro and Labrys enter the studio so suddenly. "The Kira tapes," Soichiro said, "Give us every copy you have." "Hey wait a minute," Demegawa said, "It's not that simple, our hands are tied here. Kira will kill us if anything happens to this broadcast." Soichiro pulled out his gun and yelled, "You'll die right here if you don't hand over those tapes right now!" Demegawa gulped and went for a black bag containing the tapes. "They're right here. Every last one of them. Just stop waving that gun around, you look like madman." Labrys giggled. "You should see him when he hasn't had his coffee."

* * *

L and the others had just witnessed the police van plow into the station, barely missing Labrys. She had run inside seconds later. "Well," L said, "That's one way to get into the station without being seen by Kira." Just then they saw another police car drive up to the station and two policemen get out of it. Matsuda's eyes lit up. "Look at that. We're not alone after all." L nodded. "Aizawa, do you have Deputy Director Kitamura's number?" Aizawa nodded, dialed the number, and handed the number to L. 'Aizawa,' came Kitamura's voice, 'I told you never to call this number.' "It's L," L said, "Listen. There may be other policemen who will try to stop the broadcast out of a sense of justice. You must take control of the situation before more lives are lost."

'What do you mean?,' Kitamura asked. He got his answer seconds later when the two policemen who had come out of the car died of heart attacks, causing the news crew to flee the scene. Kitamura sighed. 'I understand L. What should I do?' Before L could answer, Watari got a call on his cell. "It's Detective Yagami." L held his hand out to Watari. "Call him back and hand me the phone." 'Ryuzaki,' Soichiro said, 'It's me. I have the tapes from Kira.' "I see," L said, "So it was you who was driving that police van. I assume you are with Hippolyta?" 'That's right,' Soichiro said, 'So, how do you suppose I move out of here? I guess the front door is out, but I could always use the police van again.'

L thought for a second. "One moment Mr. Yagami." He switched phones. "Deputy Director Kitamura. I need you to listen to my instructions very carefully." He detailed a plan to rescue Soichiro, then moved back to his call. "Detective Yagami, in five minutes you and Hippolyta are going to walk out the front door. Don't worry, I've made arrangements to make sure Kira won't see your face." He hung up both phones. "It would appear things have taken a turn for the bizarre. Out of all the things that could have happened, this is one none of us could have predicted. Let's hope my plan works, because if it does we could finally have a decent break in the case. Looks like you finally got the action you've been hoping for Rokuten." Kanji smiled. "Too bad it had to come at the cost of one of our own."

* * *

Soichiro and Labrys walked out to the lobby of Sakura TV. What they saw there surprised them. "Ryuzaki's been busy," Labrys said. A wall of police vans, Special Assault Team troops, and capture nets was placed in front of the entrance to the station. The troops were wearing tinted helmets and carrying tinted riot shields. It was clear they were making sure Kira couldn't kill anyone else. Just in front of the door, Ide was waiting with a car with tinted windows. "Thank you Ide," Soichiro said, "I can drive from here." He and Labrys got in the car and drove back to the hotel. Labrys looked behind her to see the SAT troops spread out to search for Kira.

"Crazy night," Labrys said, "We lost one guy, but it looks his sacrifice won't be in vain." Soichiro nodded. "We'll make sure of that." They arrived back at the hotel, and Labrys helped Soichiro into the room. Light was there to greet them. "That was pretty reckless there Dad. If Mom had known about this, she would have had a heart attack herself." Soichiro chuckled at his son's joke. He walked over to L and handed him the bag. "These are all the tapes they had, along with a letter. Perhaps Susano-o can trace the handwriting." L nodded and looked over the letter. _'The postmark is from Osaka, but we know that Kira can control people before they die so it's possible he had someone else send this from Osaka.'_

He handed the envelope the letter was in to Aizawa. "Have this brought to the lab and tested. We may finally have some physical evidence to work with here." Aizawa nodded happily and headed off. L took the first of the tapes and inserted it into the player. "Nobunaga and I will go over these tapes. I recommend the rest of you get some rest." As Light watched the others head off to bed, he thought to himself, _'I remember this series of events from my dream. Misa Amane, have you now entered the game? If things go the way I think they will, your affection will soon turn to the new Kira. Will that be __Kisuke? We'll find out soon enough. Igor said that of the four people who received the dream, only I learned a lesson from it.'_

Sitting down next to L, he said, "Let's see what Kira has to say to the world." They stayed up all night going over the tapes. The next morning the rest of IVK came in to check on them. "I'm glad you're here," L said, "These tapes have proven quite interesting. In particular the third and fourth tapes deserve mention. The first tape did indeed contain a predication of the deaths of two criminals whose names were broadcast to the media. The second tape contained Kira's message to the world, and a request that the police join forces with him. Now, here's where the tapes get interesting. If our answer was yes, tape number three was to be played. If no, then tape number four."

Light turned to the others. "The third tape requested that more and more criminals be broadcast to the media, naturally including names and faces. Kira seemed to be most interested in those criminals that had caused trouble for the weak and defenseless, especially women. Naturally Kira intended to play the role of judge in all this. Additionally, Kira wanted everyone involved with the police, especially those investigating Kira, to publicly reveal their names and faces to the world. This of course includes L." "The fourth tape has different wording," L said, "But it basically says the same thing. I think it should go without saying that our answer is no." He handed Soichiro the fourth tape. "Return this to Sakura TV and authorize its broadcast."

* * *

Kisuke listened intently as the new broadcast from Kira was aired. _"_**_I can only say it is a shame that the police have chosen to defy me. Therefore, in four days I will kill either the Head Director of the NPA or the detective known as L. The choice is yours._**_"_ Kisuke turned off the TV and smiled. "Looks like I've even got God on my side now. Or maybe, it's actually a god of death." Ryuk chuckled. **"It certainly seems like another shinigami went and dropped their Death Note in the human world. And now a human has picked up that Death Note. And how interesting, it happens to be a strong supporter of Kira."** Kisuke nodded. "And judging from what we've witnessed last night, this human has made the deal for the shinigami eyes, making them even stronger than me."

He sat down on his bed. "Still, they way this guy operates is sickening. Sure, there have been one or two people who have spoken out against Kira. But every god has people who speak out against them, that's no crime in and of itself." He clasped his hands. "If I let things go as they are, chances are L will die in four days. However, I can't let this individual continue to operate like this. I need to join the task force and help contain this threat soon. If the worst happens and he gets caught, the Death Note will be discovered and then it'll only be a matter of time before L finally captures me."

* * *

The IVK was sitting around the table. It seemed the Heads of State had weighed in and agreed that L should be the one to die. L was calm about this, sipping his coffee as if nothing was wrong. "I suppose this is the most appropriate response. But we should be able to find a counter-measure in three days. Or at least, I hope we do. After all this it would really suck..." He took a bite out of his cake. "If I'm killed by the first person to jump on the Kira bandwagon." The others, save for Light, seemed shocked. "So we have another copycat," Yosuke said, "This is just like that business with Kubo." Naoto nodded. "Except this time our copycat is fully capable of killing in the exact same manner as the real Kira."

Matsuda looked at L. "What makes you think we're dealing with a second Kira?" "Well," L said, "It was this new Kira's choice of victims. The two criminals he killed had only ever been featured in tabloids and day-time talk shows. The real Kira would have no need to kill such minor criminals, even to alert us to something he's planning. However from the perspective of the second Kira..." He stabbed a strawberry from his cake with his fork and picked it up. "He'd want to kill criminals that he knew wouldn't be killed by the real Kira first." "We've checked it out," Light said, "And we're sure we have yet another Kira on our hands. But this one seems more ruthless."

L nodded. "The Kira we know has always avoided killing people that were truly innocent, with the exception of those that were trying to catch him. Not to mention, this new Kira appears to be able to kill someone just by looking at their face." He turned to Soichiro. "Get Deputy Director Kitamura on the phone. I think now would be a good time to have his son Kisuke join the task force. However, he is not to be told that we are dealing with a second Kira. As far as he's concerned, we are still investigating the original Kira." Soichiro nodded. _'This are moving quickly,'_ Light thought, _'Only a matter of time before Kira gets caught up in our net. The original, or the second, it doesn't matter. Catching one will lead us to the other.'_

* * *

Misa was walking down the shopping district of her hometown, followed closely by Rem. Rem was a female shinigami with a grayish body. She looked rather skeletal, with white muscle-like skin on her torso. Her arms appeared to be made from spinal cords, and her hips stuck out like a pelvis. She had purple dread-locks and her head was wrapped in bandages that covered one of her eyes. **"Misa," **she said, **"I gave you that Death Note to use for what you wanted."** Misa giggled. "But I am. I want to meet Kira myself, and talk with him. I'll always be grateful for he did. That's why I sent those tapes to the TV studio, to get Kira to notice me." Rem sighed. **"This is a very dangerous game you're playing. There's a strong possibility that you could be killed."** Misa stopped. "I'll be alright Rem. If it comes down to it, I'm still stronger them Kira. After all, I have the eyes." She opened her eyes, which seemed to glow bright red.

Next chapter: Love

"Even the original owners of the Death Note, gods of death, do not know much about the note."

**Next time, the hunt for the two Kiras begins. Read and review.**


	12. Chapter 12: Love

******Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"You may also write the cause and/or details of death prior to filling in the name of the individual. Be sure to insert the name in front of the written cause of death. You have about nineteen days (according to the human calendar) in order to fill in a name."

Chapter 12: Love

"So we're not going to tell Kisuke about the Second Kira?," Matsuda asked, "Wouldn't that make it harder to work with him?" L shook his head. "It's not indefinite. We know that Kisuke has deductive reasoning skills on par with Nobunaga's, and I intend to use this to further determine whether or not Kisuke could be Kira. We'll show him the tapes and ask him what he thinks about them. If he determines that this is the work of a second Kira, that will clear him of suspicion. After all, since Kira wants me dead, all he'd have to do is sit back and watch. Having said that, if Kisuke doesn't say anything it will do nothing to further prove he is Kira. We can simply tell him afterwards."

"How can we even expect him to come up with the whole 'Second Kira' theory?," Aizawa asked, "He doesn't even know how we came up with that. All we have is that the Second Kira used a couple two-bit con artists only featured in gossip media." L sipped his coffee. "There's actually more to it than that. Recall if you will that Ukita and those two other policemen were killed by the Second Kira despite not knowing their names. All he did was get a good look at their faces. Additionally, while the third tape made mention of us revealing our names to the public, this was likely just for the real Kira's benefit. The fourth tape makes no mention of Kira needing our names, only our faces."

Yosuke put a hand to his chin. "The whole scenario last night was simply to get Kira's attention. He sympathizes with Kira, but has none of his sophistication when it comes to these grand plans." L nodded. "So then, it's decided. We will contact Deputy Director Kitamura and have him call his son to let him know we require his help on the task force. Nobunaga, I would like you to escort him here and inform him of everything except the Second Kira. We'll then show him the tapes and afterwards, regardless of what he does then, plan our next move. Also you will have to choose a temporary alias for him while he's on the task force." Light nodded.

* * *

As Light led Kisuke to L's hotel room, Ryuk couldn't help but chuckle. _**'Kisuke was in the process of thinking up ways to worm his way into the task force, only to have them invite him in with open arms. This is getting more interesting by the day.'**_ Light was busy debriefing Kisuke on everything the IVK had been doing up until then, including the alias' for each member. "That reminds me," he said, "For now you will have to go by the alias 'Asterion'." Kisuke nodded. Light had taken the name from the Persona of Tohru Adachi, which had been a particularly ruthless Persona. As the two of them entered the hotel room, Ryuk finally got a good look at the last two Persona of the Inaba team.

Kanji's Persona was Rokuten Maoh, a giant muscular robot with red flame decals over his black body. He wore a golden helmet with a medium-sized disk on it, and had a long golden mustache that stuck out almost horizontally. In his hand was a sword that looked like solidified flame. Naoto's Persona was Yamato-Takeru, a small humanoid whose gender could not really be determined. She was wearing a white naval officers uniform with blue pants and black boots. She wore a helmet that resembled a bird's head, with fish fin-like growths on her arms. She carried a glowing yellow katana on her belt. _**'Ten Personae in total,'**_ Ryuk thought, _**'Most shinigami never even see one.'**_

He looked over to Kisuke as he listened to the tapes. Kisuke was frowning at the imposter's words. _'Jeez, whoever this guy is, he's making me sick the way he operates. Though that could simply be because I'm the real Kira.'_ He looked back at the others. _'Funny how they're not saying anything. Whatever, if I just stay quiet and not say anything about this, L will be gone soon enough.'_ "So Asterion," L said, "What do you make of these?" Kisuke's eyes narrowed. _'I should have known. This is another test. Now if I don't say anything they'll be even more suspicious.'_ He put a hand to his chin. "Well, from what I've seen of these tapes, I can determine that whoever made them is nothing more than a copycat."

Matsuda and Aizawa gasped. Kisuke nodded. "At the very least, we're dealing with someone who operates a lot differently then the Kira we know so far. He kills without planning or direction, and innocent people no less. Plus there's the fact that he appears to be able to kill someone without knowing their name, just their face." "Well done Asterion," L said, "That was the same conclusion we came to. I'm sure your father would be pleased to hear that I no longer consider you a suspect. Now then, our next move is to capture the Second Kira. I believe it may be easier to catch him then the real Kira. To do that, we need to exploit his obsession with Kira."

He sat down in a nearby chair. "We will concoct a fake Kira using Sakura TV, with Asterion writing out Kira's response and Nobunaga providing the voice. Asterion, we'll need you to write out this response before tonight so we can have it broadcast as soon as possible and insure that the Second Kira will receive it." Kisuke nodded. He got to writing immediately. To avoid raising any more suspicion, he made sure to imply that the Second Kira was not to kill L. Naturally, he avoided saying this directly to prevent the Second Kira from realizing it was a fake. Once he had it written out and had gained L's approval of it, Light took up his part and recorded the message using his best Kira impersonation. Soon after the reply was sent and authorized.

* * *

Misa was sitting on her bed waiting to hear from Kira. Her room was filled with all kinds of death images and other goth memorabilia. As she began to lie down, a news flash came on the TV. _"We have an urgent broadcast. In response to the recent actions at Sakura TV, an anonymous individual sent a tape to our studio and several others requesting they be broadcast immediately. Please note the we have full authorization from the NPA to show this message.'_ "A message?," Misa said, "Could it be?" Her eyes lit up when the word 'Kira' appeared on the screen. _"__**Greetings people of the world. I am Kira, the true Kira. The one who was broadcast at Sakura TV the other day was an imposter. I have sent this message as a means to communicate with him.**__"_

Misa giggled in delight. "I knew this would work." The broadcast continued. _"__**I wish to convey my will to this imposter, as I have chosen to be lenient with him for the time being. This is because I believe he is cooperating with my goals for the creation of a new world. However, if he truly wishes to be of any help to me, he must understand that the killing of innocent people is not my will. I ask only that he abide by two rules. One, he must not kill aimlessly. And two, he must follow my basic principles. That is all.**__"_ Misa nodded. "Of course I will. Oh, I have to get my camera. I need to make a response to this."

* * *

"We have our reply!," Chie said the next morning, "Sent in just a few hours ago. Watari is streaming it on the computer now." L nodded and began the tape. _"__**Kira, thank you for understanding. Do not worry, I will do as you say from now on.**__"_ It was all Kisuke could do to keep from groaning. _'Do as I say? What's this guy thinking? He's gonna be no help to me. If he really knew my will, he'd demand that L be killed regardless of all this.'_ _"__**I really want to meet you,**__"_ the broadcast continued, _"__**I don't believe you have the eyes, but fear not. I promise I will not kill you as I know you are working towards a better future.**__"_

Kisuke nearly face-palmed. _'Now he's going on talking about shinigami eyes? If he keeps this up, he's going to wind up saying something really incriminating. I mean seriously, how can it get any worse than this?'_ As if to answer him, the broadcast finished with, _"__**Please tell me how I can meet you **__**without the police knowing. I know you'll think of something, and then we can confirm our identities by showing each other our shinigami.**__" _Kisuke's eyes widened. _'That tears it. This guy's a liability. I need to do something about him or else...'_ He then noticed L had been nervously shaking the whole time. Suddenly, L threw his hands in the air and screamed at the top of his lungs, quickly falling out his seat.

"Shinigami...?," he said in a shaky voice, "Am I really supposed to believe they exist?" Thinking quickly, Kisuke said, "Calm down Ryuzaki. It's clear that this is just some sort of code that the Second Kira is using, something only the real Kira would understand. We all know that shinigami don't truly exist." Ryuk chuckled to himself. _**'Well, most of us anyway.' **_L started to calm down and set his chair back up. Crouching into it, he said, "You're right of course, but I can't help remembering the message Kira sent to us using criminals he had killed. It implied that shinigami do indeed exist." Kisuke chuckled. "Well, I'm sure even that was a means to get under your skin. So, what do we do know? Try and get the Second Kira to explain things further?"

"That would only serve to hinder us," Naoto said, "If we push too hard, the Second Kira will realize it's a fake and stop responding. Rather, I believe the best course of action here is to leave it up to the two Kira's. We'll wait for either Kira to make the next move and send a new message. If we air this response, there's a good chance that Kira will make his own move in order to prevent the Second Kira from revealing any incriminating information. In addition to possibly causing one or both of them to slip up and make a mistake that could get them caught, there's a good chance we could finally have some physical evidence to work with." The rest of the team nodded. Kisuke put a hand to his chin and thought, _'What sort of person is this imposter anyway?'_

* * *

Misa flopped down on her bed after a long photo shoot. "Boy, modeling can really take it out of a girl." She picked up the Death Note that Rem had given her. "Say Rem, there's something I'd like to know. Every shinigami needs a Death Note, and the only way to give one to human is for them to have two. Since Ryuk was able to fool the shinigami king into giving him a second one, does that mean you did the same thing?" Rem shook her head. **"It's not that simple. The shinigami king is not so easily fooled, so getting a second Death Note from him is a rare occurrence. Ryuk simply got lucky, that's all."** Misa tilted her head. "So then, how did you get a second Death Note?"

Rem closed her eyes solemnly. **"Let's just say I am one of the few beings out there that knows how to kill a shinigami. I never actually killed one myself, I just happened to be around when they died."** "I see," Misa said, "So how do you kill a shinigami?" Rem looked at her. **"Promise you will not speak of this too freely. The only way to kill a shinigami, is to get them to fall in love with a human." **Misa sighed romantically when she heard this. "What a beautiful way to kill." Rem closed her eyes and began telling the story of how she came to possess the Death Note that now belonged to Misa.

* * *

_It had been about a month ago. While still in the shinigami realm, Rem had begun visiting another shinigami named Gelus. Gelus was a rather short shinigami, with the appearance of a bald patchwork doll with only eye. Gelus had come to fall in love with a human girl and watched her everyday. One day, Rem came to see Gelus on the last day of the girl's life. __**"So it's today then,"**__ she said. Gelus nodded. __**"Look at her. She's so full of life. Why does it have to be today?"**__ Rem was curious about that herself, and decided to sit and watch with Gelus. Soon enough they saw the girl being confronted by a creepy man wielding a knife. He claimed to love the girl more than anyone else, but the girl didn't know him and refused him._

_This set the man off, and he declared that if he couldn't have her, then no one could. As he went for the girl with his knife, Gelus got out his Death Note. Rem knew in an instant what he planning. __**"Gelus, don't!"**__ But it was too late. Gelus had written the man's name in his Death Note, killing him and saving the girl's life. But this was a forbidden act among shinigami, and so Gelus soon crumbled into dust. All that was left behind was his Death Note, which Rem picked up. __**"Fear not Gelus. I will make sure that this is used to continue to protect the girl."**_

* * *

Misa listened to Rem's story. "All this time I thought I was just lucky. But I really had been saved by a shinigami. It's too bad he had to die for it." Rem nodded. **"I knew that Gelus would be happy if his Death Note was given to you, which is why I offered it to you. You should know that what was left of Gelus' life-span has now been added to yours, extending it far beyond its natural limit. That is why I was so sad to learn that you wanted to make the deal for the shinigami eyes."** "Sorry for that," Misa said, "But I thought it was the only way to make sure something like that would never happen again. Anyway, I wonder what's keeping Kira. He hasn't answered me yet. Maybe I should send another message soon."

* * *

Kisuke sat at the coffee shop thinking to himself. _'This imposter is really starting to get on my nerves. If he keeps making mistakes like this... At the most I have to get a hold of his Death Note. I just hope I'm not forced to kill anyone on the task force. That could be really bad for me at this point.'_ Kisuke never noticed when Misa walked him and ordered a strawberry sundae at a different table. _'I hope I get to meet Kira_ _soon,'_ she thought,_ 'I wonder what sort of person he is. I hope he is the strong handsome type, someone like Rise boyfriend Light. Oh, I'm getting so excited I can't wait. But I need to be patient. I'm sure I'll have the chance to meet Kira soon.'_ Little did she know, Kira was sitting a few tables away from her, unaware of her presence.

Next chapter: Confession

"Even if you do not possess the Death Note, the effect will be the same if you can recognize the person and his/her name to place in the blank."

**Now we have two Kiras. Things are starting to pick up. Please read and review.**


	13. Chapter 13: Confession

******Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"The Death Note will not affect those under seven-hundred and eighty days old."

Chapter 13: Confession

Rise walked into the hotel where the IVK was stationed carrying an unusual package. "If you can believe it," Rise said to the task force, "The Second Kira just sent me a package to send to Sakura TV." She pulled out another tape and a diary entry and handed it to L. "Hm," he said, "This is very interesting. Asterion, what do you make of this?" He handed the diary page to Kisuke. Looking at it, he thought to himself, _'Why would this imposter send this to Rise? Is it because they know she's well known at Sakura TV? Anyway, let's take a look here... Two-thousand and six. That's last year. Checking things out... May thirtieth, confirmed our shinigami at the Tokyo Dome. Well, that's a little too obvious... And really stupid.'_

He kept looking over the page and his eyes fell on another date. _'Huh... May twenty-second, exchanged our notebooks at Aoyama... Now that seems more intelligent. This is a clue that could only be picked up on by Kira. The May thirtieth entry will distract the police, and I can do my own search at Aoyama on the date in question.'_ L walked over to him. "So Asterion, what do you think?" Kisuke nodded. "It seems pretty stupid if you ask me. I mean, if this guy is trying to meet Kira, you'd think he'd realize that showing this on TV would cause a panic and force the game on that day to be canceled." L nodded as he sat down and sipped his coffee. "I agree. It's so stupid I'm not even sure what to do about this."

Kisuke handed the page to Light who gave a good looking through. "If you want my opinion," Light said, "We should just go ahead and have this broadcast, then announce that the game will be canceled. If the Second Kira really is this stupid, he'll come anyway hoping the real Kira will do the same." "That's a good idea," L said, "We can set up roadblocks around the dome and lay in wait for the Second Kira to arrive." Naoto glanced at the page. "But what if the Second Kira isn't that stupid? He could be trying something on the other two dates that have locations on them. There's one date that mentions seeing a friend in Aoyama, then another that mentions gazing on the blue mountain, likely a reference to Mt. Fuji, in Shibuya."

_'That's odd,'_ Kisuke thought, _'If he wanted to see Mt. Fuji, he should go to Shinjuku, not Shibuya. This is another clue for me, I'm sure of it.'_ "So then," L said, "We should have two teams to search both locations. We'll have surveillance in both areas to keep on eye on anything suspicious. Any volunteers for Aoyama?" Matsuda and Kisuke raised their hands, with Kisuke just a second behind. L nodded. "Alright then, we'll have the Inaba team check out Shibuya." As Kisuke left for home, L pulled Matsuda aside. "I know this is sudden, but I want you to keep a close eye on Kisuke. I know I cleared him as a suspect earlier, but his eagerness to help search Aoyama is rather sudden, almost as if he wants to make sure he goes without arousing suspicion." Matsuda nodded.

* * *

As soon as Kisuke got home, he headed up to his room. "Ryuk, there's something I need to ask you, and I'd appreciate an honest answer." **"All right,"** Ryuk said. Kisuke sat down in his chair. "Say another shinigami was in the human world attached to a human with a Death Note and you two happened to come across each other. Would you be allowed to converse with one another?" Ryuk shrugged. **"Probably. There's no laws against it or anything. And if a shinigami did talk to me, I'd probably act the same as always."** Kisuke nodded. "Okay, then would the other shinigami tell the human he's attached to that he's seen you?" **"Dunno," **Ryuk said as he scratched his temple, **"I suppose it would depend on the personality of the shinigami. We shinigami are as diverse in appearance and personality as humans, so it's hard to say for certain."**

As Kisuke listened, he started researching Aoyama. When he came across one page, he gasped. "No way... Did he really think this far ahead?" Ryuk took a look. **"What's this? The Note Blue cafe? Oh... Now that's clever."** Kisuke nodded. "The entry about the blue mountain... Showing a friend his notebook in Aoyama... This guy is far more intelligent than I gave him credit for. I may be able to make use of him after all." He leaned back in his chair. "If he is in Aoyama and I pass by the Blue Note cafe, chances are he may spot me and somehow figure out who I am. Then he'll come straight to me, at a time when I won't be with the police." **"So you're gonna lure this fake Kira to you," **Ryuk said, **"I like where this is going."**

* * *

Meanwhile, Misa was looking in her mirror while brushing her hair. She was getting ready to disguise herself and arrive in Aoyama to see if she could spot Kira. "Say Rem," she said, "Can you tell me again why I can't see my own life-span, even with the shinigami eyes?" Rem nodded. **"Humans who possess a Death Note have no need to kill each other. And just as we shinigami cannot see another shinigami's life-span, so too can two humans with Death Notes not see each others life-span, even with the eyes."** "I see," Misa said, "Then I can use that as a means to find Kira, even if he's in a group of people. This'll be perfect."

* * *

At Aoyama, Matsuda was surprised to see a group of people along with Kisuke. "Hey there Taro," Kisuke said, using Matsuda's alias, "Guys this is my cousin Taro Matsui, who's coming in from Inaba. He's says he wants to see all of Aoyama, so we should show him a good time. Oh yeah, and he also said he's looking for a girlfriend, so if there are any volunteers feel free." Matsuda became flustered. "Kisuke, I never said that." The others giggled at the look on Matsuda's face. As the group walk toward the Note Blue, Ryuk hovered just behind them, unseen to all but Kisuke. _'This is a pretty good defense against L's cameras,'_ Kisuke thought, _'And it will make it much more difficult for the imposter's shinigami to know who Ryuk is attached to. That way even if the imposter visits me first, and even if he stumbles upon Matsuda, it will impossible to tell which of our group was the Kira the imposter was looking for.'_

Meanwhile, inside the Note Blue, Misa was disguised in a black school-girl outfit with a short black wig and thick glasses. Looking at the group of people that just passed, she adjusted her glasses. _'I found you. Kisuke Kitamura, huh? He's the only one who's life-span I can't see, that means he's Kira.'_ She got up from her chair. "Time to go Rem." Rem looked confused. **"You came all this way to find Kira and now you're just leaving?"** Misa nodded. "It's not like I can just walk up to him and say, 'Hi Kira, nice to meet you'. Especially with all those people around him. Now that I know his name, I can look him up easily." She smiled. "He looked so handsome. I never thought Kira could be so young." She giggled. "I think I'm falling in love."

* * *

A few days later, the IVK was sitting around their meeting room. "We've checked both Aoyama and Shibuya," Aizawa said, "And found nothing suspicious. Maybe the Second Kira is planning something at the Tokyo Dome." Kisuke put a hand to his chin. _'No one approached me as I passed by the Note Blue. Maybe my plan was a little too crafty and I wound up blending in too well for the imposter to notice me.'_ Just then, Watari came in over the computer. _"Ryuzaki, we have another message from the Second Kira sent to Sakura TV, postmarked on the twenty-fourth. I'm streaming it to you now." _The task force listened as the message was played. _"_**_As of right now, I have found Kira. I would like to thank the news stations and the police for their assistance in this matter. That is all._**_"_

_'He found me?,'_ Kisuke thought, _'But how? There's something here I'm missing.'_ "This isn't good," Soichiro said, "Odds are the two Kiras are now cooperating with each other." L sipped his coffee. "No, I don't think so. The Second Kira only said he found the first Kira, he said nothing about making contact. If we move now and speak to the Second Kira as the police, we may to make a deal with him and get Kira's name." Kisuke began thinking to himself. _'The twenty-fourth... If that's the postmark, then that means the Second Kira was in Aoyama and somehow found me despite all the people around me. Anyway, there's no telling how he'll react to this broadcast, but at the same time I can do nothing to stop it without looking suspicious. Guess I'll have to hope for the best.'_

* * *

Misa was sitting in her room with her computer on. On the screen was a picture of Kisuke, along with his name and address. Misa sighed in delight. "Those glasses make him look really striking. And just look at all he's accomplished as a student. So far there's only one other person that's surpassed him, but that's okay. After all, that isn't person isn't Kira." Just then a news broadcast came on from the police. _"We of the NPA have a message for the Second Kira. At this time we are aware that you have made you have found the original Kira, but are certain you have not made contact. If that's the case, it may not be too late providing you are willing to cooperate with us."_

"How did they know I found Kira?," Misa said, "My message saying I found him hasn't even aired yet. Unless... Maybe the police had made all those replies to my messages, and the real Kira simply overheard them. He may even be working with the police to monitor the investigation." The broadcast continued. _"Make no mistake, if you approach Kira, he will most certainly kill you. You will be used and disposed of. Think of your own life for a moment. Yours as well as others has value in this world. We ask that you turn yourself in and offer any information you may have about Kira. Rest assured you sentence will significantly reduced should you do this."_ Misa smiled. "It's time to go Rem. We're going to introduce ourselves to Kira."

* * *

Later that night, Kisuke was at his home when he heard a knock on the front door. Going to answer it, he saw a very gorgeous young woman standing outside. He walked out to meet her and closed the door behind him. "Hello there," the girl said, "I am Misa Amane. Your name is Kisuke Kitamura, right?" Kisuke nodded. Misa dug into the bag he was carrying and pulled out a Death Note. "Here," she said, "You'll probably want to see my shinigami." Kisuke touched the notebook, and sure enough he was able to see Rem standing just behind Misa. _'I see,' _he thought, _'This girl is the imposter I've been searching for.'_

He led Misa up to his room and closed the door behind them. "How did you find me anyway?" "Well you see," Misa said, "A person who has the shinigami eyes can't see the life-span of another human who has a Death Note." _'So that's it,'_ Kisuke thought, _'That would have allowed her to pick me out of a crowd no problem. I should have considered this. Anyway, this girl went through all the trouble to meet me, but I need to make sure she's covered her tracks before I decide to have her work with me.'_ He cleared his throat. "I'd like to know why you decided to come here so suddenly." "Well," Misa said nervously, "After seeing the police broadcast, I thought you might get worried and do something that could lead the police to you. Also I... I want to become your girlfriend."

Kisuke gasped. "I... See. But I don't think I can do that. You may not know this, but L had set up surveillance cameras all around Aoyama. If we were seen together it may look suspicious." "That's alright," Misa said, pulling pictures of herself in disguise out of her bag, "See while I was there I was dressed like this." Kisuke looked at the pictures. _'Well, she's clever all right. Now way anyone would recognize her looking like this.'_ He nodded to her. "Alright, but what about the tapes sent to Sakura TV? There were fingerprints found on them." "I know," Misa said, "But they aren't mine. See, I was living in Kansai until recently, and had a friend who was into the occult. She helped me make these fake poltergeist tapes as a prank to send to various TV stations in the area. I later added the voice and the Kira graphic, which she doesn't even know about."

"Okay," Kisuke said, "But what about the diary page you sent to Rise? That got picked up too." Misa smiled. "That was sent anonymously, and I made sure not to leave any fingerprints or DNA. I even used a computer and deleted the file to make sure they couldn't trace it." _'Alright,'_ Kisuke thought, _'I'm impressed so far. It's clear she's gone to all this trouble to meet me. Now I just have one final question.'_ He looked at Misa. "I need to know why you went to all this trouble just to meet me." Misa suddenly looked very sad. "The truth is, two years ago my parents were killed right in front of me. They finally caught the person responsible, but the trial was dragging on for so long. There was even talk that he was being falsely accused."

She wiped a tear from her eye. "When they finally convicted him, it was only for manslaughter. The thought that he could be free in a matter of years, even sooner if got paroled, made me so upset. But then, as he was being led away, he suddenly died of a heart attack. It was after that when I first heard about Kira, and realized that it had to have been him who killed that man." Kisuke remembered watching the case on the news. It had indeed been by his hand that the man who murdered Misa's parents died. Smiling at Misa gently, he came over to her and embraced her. Misa's breath caught in her throat. "I understand now," Kisuke said, "I suppose I could at least act like your boyfriend, for the time being. Maybe I can even be your boyfriend for real some day, but you have to promise to follow my every instruction." Misa smiled and returned the embrace. "Of course. I promise, and I'll do my best to make you love me."

Next chapter: Friend

"The Death Note will be rendered useless if the victim's name is misspelled four times."

**Kisuke sure can be a player when he wants to be, huh? So anyway, read and review.**


	14. Chapter 14: Friend

**Here you will see yet another difference between Light as Kira and Kisuke as Kira. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"'Suicide' is a valid cause of death. Basically all humans are thought to possess the possibility to commit suicide. It is, therefore, not something 'unbelievable to think of'."

Chapter 14: Friend

Kisuke was sitting with Misa in his room. She had just finished explaining how she got her Death Note. _'Well now,'_ Kisuke thought, _'I'll have to decide how to proceed now that Misa has found me. Ideally, I'd want to get her in front of L so she can see his name. I can't let her get near any of the Inaba team members, or she may get spooked by their Personae. Oh yeah, that reminds me.'_ "I just realized something," he said to Misa, "I forgot to show you my shinigami, haven't I? First, I'd like you turn around." Misa nodded and did as Kisuke asked. He got out his wallet and retrieved the scrap from his Death Note and placed it against her hand. "Okay then, you can turn around again."

Misa turned around and came face-to-face with Ryuk. **"Hey there, nice to meet you."** "Wow," Misa said, "He's looks totally different from Rem. Your name's Ryuk, right? Rem told me." Kisuke smiled nervously. _'A little nonchalant considering she just met him. Then again, it's hardly her first shinigami.'_ He looked at her. _'If I'm not mistaken, she's supposed to be Rise's best friend. Or at least that's what Light told me. So if she winds up dead or even disappeared, it could attract way too much attention. I'll have to keep as close an eye on her as possible and make sure she never gets caught. Although, if that should happen, I'd better prepare a strategy for that scenario.'_

"Oh yeah," Misa suddenly said, "Did you know there's a way to kill a shinigami?" Kisuke seemed interested. "Kill a shinigami? How would you do that?" Misa giggled. "The shinigami has to fall in love with a human, and then save that human in the process of killing someone else." Ryuk burst out laughing. **"Good luck finding a shinigami to do that! I mean really, falling in love with a human?"** "I know," Kisuke said, "I can't see you doing that." He then got a brainstorm. "Say Misa, where did you send those tapes from?" "All over the place," Misa said, "First from Osaka, then Tokyo, then another in Nagano. I made sure to take the bullet train so I couldn't be pinned down."

Kisuke smiled. _'She really is smarter than she looks.'_ He looked at her. "Okay, I'm going to have to ask you to dispose of all the equipment you used to make those tapes. But first, you're going to make one final message. Let's see, it should go like, 'I have decided to stop searching for Kira, but will continue to assist him. I will begin by punishing criminals who have yet to be judged by Kira. I will also invite any who wish to join us to share in our power.'" Misa looked confused. "Share in our power?" Kisuke nodded. "L doesn't know anything about the Death Note. So saying that this power can be shared freely wouldn't be too much of a stretch for him. So, can you do that?"

Misa nodded eagerly. "I guess this means we're now boyfriend and girlfriend right." Kisuke became flustered. "I guess so, if that's what you want." "Okay," Misa said, "But I want at least one date per week." Kisuke sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "As much as I would like that, I'm afraid it's next to impossible. I haven't told you this yet, but L already suspects me of being Kira. I have been able to use this to my advantage by getting close to him, heck he even told me who he was in public. But if there's any deviation between Kira and the Second Kira, he's sure to zero in on it. Having said that, going on a date every once in a while isn't entirely out of the question."

Misa giggled. "Great. But please, promise me you won't go seeing any other girls." Kisuke smiled. "I wouldn't even dream of it. But you have to promise not kill any girl you just happen to see hanging around me. Don't forget, you said you wouldn't kill aimlessly." Misa nodded. "I won't. Least of all if it happens to be my friend Rise, cause I know she already has a boyfriend." "Alright then," Kisuke said, "One last thing. If you somehow get caught, you are not to tell anyone about meeting me or about the Death Note. If they put you in a position where you're being forced to, just give up ownership. That way you won't be able to tell them anything." "Okay," Misa said, "And here." She handed Kisuke her Death Note. "I think it would be better if you held onto this instead of me. That way if I am caught, they won't be able to find it."

Kisuke then sent Misa off for home, then got back in front of his computer and did a search on Misa. "I know I've heard that name elsewhere before... Ah, here it is." On the screen was Misa entire modeling career. **"So she's famous, huh? One more reason not to kill her I suppose."** Kisuke nodded. _'Me being seen with her could draw unwanted attention. But I have a hunch she won't be giving me any say in the matter, so I may as well get used to it. There's also Rem to consider. From hearing Misa's story, it's possible that Rem may fallen in love with Misa and would do anything to keep her safe, even if she had to sacrifice herself.'_

* * *

"Still going over those tapes?," Teddie asked L. "Yes, I'm relatively certain that the two Kiras have met and are now cooperating. This is a threat we cannot ignore, and it should be dealt with as soon as possible." He turned to the other. "Mogi, Rokuten, I'd like you to shadow Kisuke for a few days. We know that the Second Kira had to have found the first while in Aoyama, and so far we have found nothing suspicious there. I need to know if there is anyone new in Kisuke's circle of friends." "Now that you mention it," Rise said solemnly, "My friend Misa texted me saying she had fallen in love with someone at first sight and was going to go introduce herself to them. Seems unrelated, I know, but if there's one thing I've learned it's that anything can be a clue in the right context." L seemed interested in this news about Misa.

* * *

Kisuke was sitting in class the next day thinking about recent events. _'I need to think of some way to get Misa close enough to L to see his face. Once that happens, she can tell me his name and I can be rid of him, then I'll get rid of the senior detectives on the task force. It'll be a lot harder for the Inaba team to investigate Kira without police supervision.'_ "Hey, Kisuke," Kiyomi said. Kiyomi Takada was a very beautiful young woman with dark brown hair and greyish eyes. She was wearing a white blouse and black skirt. She considered the most beautiful woman at To-Oh University, being given the title "Miss Todai". Kisuke had asked her to be his girlfriend only to have the appearance of a normal college student, though he had no real feelings for her.

"Kisuke," Kiyomi said, "If you and I are going to be dating, you at least look happy to be sitting next to me." "What's the big deal?," Kisuke said, "You only agreed to this because Light Yagami was already taken." Kiyomi giggled. "True, but it's not like you're unpopular. Especially after your tennis match with that other student Ryuga." Kisuke grinned. _'She's really enjoying the attention. Too bad this is all just a farce. Anyway, I should head for task force headquarters after class. Misa's final message should be sent to the TV station by now, and I'm certain it will be intercepted by the task force.'_ Several rows above them, the couple was observed by Mogi. _'So Kisuke has a girlfriend at the university. I'd better tell Rokuten about this so he can keep an extra eye out for her.'_

* * *

Kisuke walked into task force headquarters later that day. "There you are," L said as he came in, "Your timing is perfect. We have another message from the Second Kira. And from the context, I'd say it's the final message." Kisuke listened as the message was played. It was exactly what he had told Misa to say, word for word. "From this," L said he munched on a cookie, "I can say that it's very likely that the two Kiras have met and are cooperating with each other." Kisuke looked interested. "Any reason why you think that?" "Consider how badly the Second Kira wanted to find the original Kira," Naoto said, "Now all of a sudden he says he won't look for him anymore?"

Light nodded. "There's also the fact that he says he will punish criminals that the original Kira has not yet gotten to. This can only mean that the original Kira is going to be given him permission." "I see," Kisuke said, "Given that, I'd say it's very likely that the two Kiras have met." L nodded and bit into one of his doughnuts. "Not only that, but it makes me think you aren't Kira after all Asterion. After all, if that were the case, you'd want me to appear on TV regardless and have the Second Kira kill me." Kisuke chuckled. "I think you have it backwards. I know for a fact that you would never appear on TV. Heck, the last time you decided to, you used a stand-in to take the blow from Kira."

L smiled at him. "True. Be that as it may, I still believe that you aren't Kira. Or at least, it would be very bad if you were Kira." Kisuke looked confused. "What do you mean?" "I haven't had many friends in my life," L said, "Up until recently Yamato was merely an acquaintance. It wasn't until I met Nobunaga that I could truly say I had found a friend. And now I have come to see you too as a friend." _'Great,'_ Kisuke thought, _'Just what I need at this point in time.'_ He sighed and grinned. "I can honestly say I see you as a friend too. And I've actually come to miss you coming to college. We should really play tennis again sometime." L smiled. "Sure, why not?"

* * *

Kisuke was walking home that night when he heard Misa call out, "Kisuke!" He turned around in time to see Misa leap at him and practically tackle him to the ground. "I know you said to wait at least two weeks," Misa said, "But I just couldn't wait that long." Kisuke sighed. "It's alright. Actually your timing couldn't be better. There's something I need to discuss with you." He brought her to his house, not noticing that Kanji was watching them secretly. _'So Kisuke has a second girlfriend. And if I'm not mistaken, that's Rise's friend Misa Amane. So Kisuke was the person she had supposedly fallen in love with at first sight. L will be very interested to learn of this, though I'm not sure what Rise will think.'_

Kisuke led Misa into his bedroom but didn't turn on any lights. He then turned towards Rem. "Rem, there's something I want you to be honest with me about. From Misa's story, I gather that you have feeling for her, am I correct." Rem nodded. **"You are correct. During my time watching her, I confess I had grown to have feelings for her."** Ryuk was flabbergasted. **"Are you serious Rem?! You're a shinigami!"** "It's fine," Kisuke said, "But if that's the case, then seeing Misa happy would make you happy right?" **"I suppose that would be the case,"** Rem said, **"Where are you going with this Kisuke?"** Kisuke pulled Misa closer to him. "Well, since Misa is in love with me, it would certainly make her happy if I were happy."

Misa gasped. "Rem, I think I know what he wants. He wants you to kill L for us. Please Rem, you will do it, won't you?" Kisuke closed his eyes. "I know that shinigami aren't allowed to reveal another human's name, but there are no rules that say they can't kill someone on behalf of another human, right?" Rem looked Kisuke in the eye. **"No, there is such rule against killing on behalf of someone who possesses a Death Note. And of course, I would happy to kill this L if it mean making Misa happy. However, since I have no love for you, this will not kill me even it extends your life."** Misa looked delighted to hear this. "Thank you Rem. I know this will help me and Kisuke be together for a very long time." Kisuke couldn't even speak. _'So that's it then... Just like that... All it took was to ask, and L will die... It'll all be over.'_

Next chapter: Wager

"Whether the cause of the individual's death is either a suicide or accident, if the cause of death leads to the death of more than the intended, the person will simply die of a heart attack. This is to insure that other lives are not influenced."

**Could it really be that simple? Find out next time. Read and review.**


	15. Chapter 15: Wager

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"Even after the individual's name, the time of death, and death condition on the Death Note were filled out, the time and condition of death can be altered as many times as you want, as long as it is changed within six minutes and forty seconds from the times it was filled in. But, of course, this is only possible before the victim dies."

Chapter 15: Wager

Kisuke was still dumbstruck by Rem agreeing to kill L for him and Misa. The idea that his struggles could be over at a moment's notice was surreal. **"So,"** Rem said, **"When should I do this?"** Kisuke thought about it. "Not right away. Let's wait at least twenty-four hours, then I'll decide. I need to make sure it's done in a such a way that the police won't suspect me immediately afterward." He turned to Misa. "If it's all right, I'm going to need your phone number for this. I'll be sure to call you tomorrow regardless of my decision." Misa dug into her bag and pulled out her phone. Noticing that there was more than one, Kisuke said, "Why do you have more than one phone?" "Cause I use them for different things," Misa said, "Say, that gives me an idea. Since it might too dangerous for you to give me your number, why don't I just give you one of my phones?"

She handed the phone she was holding to Kisuke. He smiled. "Yeah, this will work out fine. And even if you call me, it'll just cause confusion if they trace it. All right then, I know it's early in the evening, but I think you should go home now Misa." He gently touched her cheek. "Sorry about this, but it's a little early to be so serious in our relationship. However..." He surprised Misa with a deep kiss. "Consider that a taste of things to come." Misa, flustered and happy, said, "Okay... I'll see you... Tomorrow..." And she walked out the door. Ryuk chuckled at what had just happened. **"That certainly came out of nowhere. You falling for her, or just trying to keep her infatuated?"** "A little of both," Kisuke said as he sat down at his desk, "Anyway if luck is on my side, L will be dead tomorrow. It was his mistake to reveal himself to me."

* * *

The IVK watched as L pawed over the evidence they had collected. All of it was contained in small plastic bags. Rise was looking a little forlorn. "I still don't want to believe it. But when I think about it, it's just the sort of thing Misa would wind up doing." Light pulled her closer to comfort her. "If what Igor told me is true," he whispered to her, "She had the same dream I did, but decided to become the Second Kira regardless." Rise nodded and shed a single tear. _"Misa... How could you have fallen so far? Just because your parents died. I know we're friends, but I can't let Kira run free and do as he wishes.'_ She broke down and cried into Light's shoulder. He patted the back of her head. "It'll be okay, we'll get through this."

L watched this and couldn't help but feel sympathetic. "Mr. Yagami," he said, "If I die within the next few days, you are to immediately place Kisuke Kitamura under arrest." Soichiro gasped. "But... I thought he was almost cleared." L nodded. "I know this, but right now we have no other suspects. Besides, we're out of options. Our two Kiras have met and are most likely working together, increasing the danger for everyone here. Don't worry, I've made arrangements for Watari to continue assisting you should anything befall me." Light frowned. "We're playing a desperate gamble with this plan." "Of course," L said, "But so far Kira has had the devil's luck in regards to everything we've done so far. I'd say it's about time for us to have a winning hand, yes?"

* * *

Kisuke was walking down the campus with Kiyomi. Suddenly he heard a familiar voice. "Hey there Kisuke." It was L. Kisuke looked to see him squatting on a bench with Light next to him. Kisuke frowned. "Sorry about this, but I should go talk with them." "That's fine," Kiyomi said with a smile. Kisuke walked over to the two of them. "Hey there Ryuga, I thought you weren't going to show yourself in public." L smiled. "Well, I figure since you aren't Kira I should be safe enough. And college can be really fun, so long as I don't die. Having said that, I've told the investigation team to have you arrested should I die in the next few days." Kisuke's eyes widened. _'Just great. And here I was planning on having him killed today. No matter, I can postpone my plans for a week or so._'

L got off the bench and slipped into his sneakers. "Anyway, Light said he was planning on introducing his girlfriend to some of his friends." "You've probably heard of her," Light said, "Her name's Rise Kujikawa." Kisuke nodded. "The famous actress Risette, right? The rumors have been flying all over the country. I'm actually surprised, I didn't think you liked idols." Light smiled. "Rise's different. When you get to know her you realize she's just like any other teenage girl." Suddenly, Kisuke heard Misa call out, "Kisuke! Hello!" He turned to see her behind him, right next to Rise. "Sorry about this Light," Rise said, "But Misa said her boyfriend went to this college too, and wanted to come over since her next photo shoot was so close."

Light chuckled nervously. "It's fine, I guess." He didn't mention the fact that Kisuke was supposed to be dating Kiyomi Takada, since he knew how jealous Misa could be. Kisuke frowned, and noticed that L was giggling softly. _'Uh-oh. Don't tell me L has already found out about Misa. But wait, this could be a great opportunity. By a stroke of luck, I now have Misa in front of L and can use her to find out his real name. Wait... Now that I think of it, shouldn't she be freaking out at the Persona Light has. Or maybe not. If she's friends with Rise, she's already seen a Persona and has likely had Rem explain about them.'_ "I must say Kisuke," L said, "You are a very lucky man. I've been a fan of Misa's ever since the August issue of 'Eighteen'."

"Thank you," Misa said, "So I guess you're a friend of Kisuke's then. You look so different. Can I ask your name?" L nodded. "It's Hideki Ryuga. No relation to the famous actor, of course." Misa, of course, could see L's real name, but knew it would be better to ask to prevent any suspicion. Just then, several students spotted Misa and Rise and crowed around the five of them. "Never fails," Light said, "Price of dating an idol. We can't go anywhere without bumping into at least one fan." Rise also looked a little embarrassed, but Misa was enjoying the crowd. Suddenly, she called out, "Hey! Someone touched my butt!" She looked behind her to see L standing there. "Uh...," he said, "This is an outrage! Taking advantage of this situation! I promise, I will find the guilty party at once!"

At that moment, Misa's manager arrived. "There you are," she said angrily, "I hope you weren't planning on being late again." She dragged Misa away from the crowd with Rise following to join her own manager, who was a few feet away. As Misa walked off, she said, "See ya Kisuke. Miss you already." Kisuke watched her walk away, then smiled. _'Well, the timing couldn't be more perfect. Now that Misa is away from the crowd, I can call her up and ask her for L's real name. It pains me to do this after he called me his friend, but right now he's the biggest obstacle in my plans for a new world.'_ He got the phone Misa had given him out of his pocket and started dialing.

* * *

As Misa walked off with her manager, she thought to herself, _'So Light has a Persona just like Rise. It looked a little different, almost like a samurai warlord. Pretty cool. I hope Rise will introduce me to more friends of hers who have Personae.'_ As they walked off campus, Rise passed by Kanji, who handed her a tinted helmet. Not knowing their Personae protected them from the shinigami eyes, the Inaba team wore these helmets to hide their faces from the Second Kira. Before Misa knew what was happening, several police detectives wearing similar helmets ambushed her and covered her eyes with a blind-fold. As she was handcuffed, Rise leaned over to her. "I'm sorry... Misa." _'Rise...,'_ Misa thought, _'I had no idea... All this time you were part of the investigation of Kira. Why...?'_

* * *

Kisuke had finished dialing Misa's number, but was surprised to hear her phone ringing from L's pocket. Smiling, L answered. "L," Kisuke said, "Why do you have Misa's cell phone?" L pretended to be surprised. "Oh, so this is her phone. I found it lying on the ground, I guess she must have dropped it in the crowd." He hung up and handed the phone to Kisuke. "Sorry about that. I guess you can return it to her for me." Kisuke nodded and walked off again. _'So you swiped the phone from Misa's belt, then claimed ignorance. Clever L, but you didn't count on her having a third phone.'_ But before he could call Misa, Light's phone went off. "I think that's yours this time," L said to him. Light nodded and picked up his phone.

After a few seconds of talking, he whispered something to L who then nodded. "Kisuke," L said, "I don't know how you'll take this, but Misa Amane has just been arrested on suspicion of being the Second Kira. We've gathered physical evidence from the tapes and envelopes. After being directed to Misa by her friend Rise, who also happens to be on the task force, we were able to make a positive match. Of course, it could cause an outcry if her arrest were to made public, so officially her manager is being arrested on unrelated drug charges with Misa as a voluntary witness." Kisuke's eyes widened. _'I was careless. I should have had those tapes destroyed. And Rise... I should have told Misa her friend was one of the investigators.'_ He closed his eyes. "I see. Alright then." Walking off, he thought to himself, _'It looks like this battle goes to you L. But I anticipated that Misa might get caught. It just happened sooner than I expected. This war is far from over.'_

* * *

Three days had passed. With all the evidence they had collected, the IVK knew that Misa was guilty. All that was left was to get Misa to confess, and tell them how she killed and more importantly, who Kira was. Light had taken Rise into their room, because he didn't want her to see Misa being tortured to get the information they needed. "This must be hard on Kanzeon," Aizawa said, "After all, Misa is her best friend. She probably feels like she's betrayed her." Misa had been bound in a straightjacket and numerous leather straps, as well as shackled to a gurney. There was a blind-fold around her eyes so she couldn't see anything around her. **"Misa,"** came Rem's voice, **"I can get you out of here. Just say the word, and I will make sure you are released and returned to Kisuke."**

Misa sobbed. "No... Please... Just kill me." Rem closed her sadly. **"I could never do that. Not only would that bring me great sorrow, it would also sadden Kisuke."** "Well then," Misa said, "If you won't... Then I'll..." But before she could bite her tongue, Watari rushed over and put a gag on her mouth on L's orders. Rem sighed. **"Misa... If it is truly so important for you to keep Kisuke's secret, simply give up ownership of the Death Note like Kisuke suggested. You needn't worry, only your memories of the Death Note itself will disappeared. You will still remember your love for Kisuke." ** Misa nodded, and shed a single tear. Rem raised her hand to wipe it away, then erased all Misa's memories of the Death Note.

* * *

"So it's done then," Kisuke said, "Misa no longer has ownership. And since she had given me her Death Note to hold onto, I guess that means ownership passes onto me." **"That is correct," **Rem said, **"But you must promise me that will do whatever it takes to save her."** Kisuke nodded. "Don't worry about that. I've already planned for this. This is going to be the biggest risk I've taken since that bus-jacking incident. If it fails, Kira will fade forever. But if it succeeds, Kira will be that much closer to bringing about a new world." **"Well you've gambled your life up until now and come up all sevens,"** Ryuk said, **"What's one more bet, right?"** Kisuke nodded. "It's been fun Ryuk, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to say good-bye." Ryuk became flabbergasted. **"What do you mean?!"**

Next chapter: Decision

"Whenever you want to change anything written on the Death Note within six minutes and forty seconds after you wrote, you must first rule out the characters you want to erase with two straight lines."

**What could Kisuke mean? How does he plan to save Misa? Anyone think this new pairing is more like Bonnie and Clyde than Harley Quinn and the Joker? Anyway, read and review.**


	16. Chapter 16: Decision

******This is chapter is going to be painful to write. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"The time and condition of death can be changed, but once the victim's name has been written, the individual's death can never be avoided."

Chapter 16: Decision

Kisuke had finished burying his Death Note, along with a letter, in ground in the woods. He then turned to Rem and handed her the other Death Note. "I hereby forfeit ownership of this Death Note." Rem nodded. **"Take of her. Remember your promise."** She then flew off. Kisuke closed his eyes. "Just like I thought, since I still have ownership of the other Death Note, my memories remain. Alright Ryuk, pay attention because this next part is very important. Right now, even though I'm only hiding it, I'm still maintaing ownership for the time being. Until the next time you hear me say the words 'get rid of it', no matter what the context is, I want you to assume I want to give up ownership." **"Sure,"** Ryuk said.

* * *

The task force was continuing to watch to watch Misa, waiting for her to finally admit she was the Second Kira. _"Excuse me," _she said over the video, _"Mr. Stalker? Do you think we could stop this game now? You do realize what you're doing is illegal right?"_ L suddenly looked confused, and he wasn't alone. "Where did she come up with the stalker routine?," Aizawa asked. Kanji shrugged. "We made absolutely sure she knew what we were doing. I even reminded her before we had her confined." "Well," L said, "Just to make sure." He turned on the mic with a voice filter. "**Ms. Amane. You do understand the reason for your confinement, correct?**"

"_Of course,"_ Misa said, _"It's because I'm a celebrity. But I must say, you're the first stalker I've had who's ever gone this far. I mean, knocking me out and tying me up like this."_ Kanji frowned. "We never knocked her out. She was conscious the whole time." L nodded. "Let's try another avenue." He spoke back into the mic. "**Are you aware of the name Kisuke Kitamura? Please, be honest.**" Misa almost looked angry. _"Well of course I know him. He's my boyfriend. I don't know how you found out about that, since we haven't been seeing each other for very long."_ "Well that's unusual," L said, "Only a few days ago she was denying that she knew Kisuke, and now she's admits they're involved. What's going on here?"

* * *

Light was lying in the bed of his hotel room next to Rise. She had wanted to forget all the horrible things that had been happening for night, so they had spent the night making love to each other. Light was now awoken by his cell phone going off. "Hello...," he said sleepily. 'It's me,' came Kisuke's voice, 'I have something to confess. Although I'm not actually aware of this fact, I believe that on a subconscious level, I may in fact be Kira.' Light's eyes widened. "Kisuke are you serious? Do you even know what you're saying?" 'I do,' Kisuke said, 'Listen, I can't live with this doubt anymore. So I want you to bring me before Ryuzaki. I'm afraid until this matter is cleared up, I can't continue investigating with you.' Light closed his eyes. "I see. I understand."

* * *

L was just as surprised as Light to see Kisuke come in and admit that he may in fact be Kira on a subconscious level. _'This makes no sense,'_ L thought, _'Why come to us about this now, instead of earlier? Granted the evidence pointing to Kisuke so far is significant, but you'd think anyone who had these kinds of thoughts would have turned themselves in long ago. Besides, there's something else bothering me.'_ "Well," he said to Kisuke, "There is one I should mention. You see there was a five-day period in which we had surveillance cameras set up in your house. During that time, criminals continued to die with you having no knowledge of their existence. Not to you mention you showed no signs of killing anyone even subconsciously. There's no way your story can be true."

Yosuke put a hand to his chin. "I don't know. We weren't exactly watching him all the time. There were periods when he walked out of his house and we had no way of watching him. Besides, there were times when he was aware of certain criminals, ones who died several hours after being broadcast on the news. If we're going to know for certain whether Kisuke is aware of being Kira or not, we have no choice to but to have him confined as well." Kisuke nodded. "That's fine. I was actually going to suggest that. However, I have to ask that until you can be absolutely sure that I'm not Kira, you won't release me no matter what I say, alright?"

L nodded, and Kisuke was handcuffed and blind-folded. _'This will take a few days. It's going to be painful, and once I've lost my memories of the Death Note, things could be stressful for me. But I have to endure it.'_ He was led to a small cell in another location and locked up. **"So,"** Ryuk said, **"I'm guessing apples are out of the question?"** Back at the hotel, Light couldn't help but think to himself, _'This is all looking so familiar. Everything is going as it did in my dream. Maybe I'm wrong, and I was never meant to be Kira. Which would mean the dream was simply a warning about future events. I mean, almost everything that's happened up until now has gone as I dreamt it. Not to mention, I'm getting more and more signs that the Death Note is involved.'_

* * *

A week had gone by, and so far no new criminals had been reported dead, lending credence to the argument that Kisuke was Kira. "This sucks," Yosuke said as he and Chie got back from their date, "We made all these plans to arrest Kisuke discreetly and now this. He just waltzes in and demands to be confined. That just takes all the wind out of my sails." Chie nodded. "Yeah, and poor Rise. She's taking this so hard because it's her best friend. I'm pretty sure she would have broken down if not for Light. As it is I'm afraid for her." They walked into the hotel and found L still sitting in front the TV. "Anything from them?," Yosuke asked. L shook his head. "No. And we were so close to getting Misa to crack. I mean... Just a week ago she was asking us to kill her, and now this? I really don't know what's going on anymore."

Just then he got a call from Deputy Director Kitamura. 'I... Understand you have my son in custody on suspicion of being Kira.' "Yes that's correct," L said, "My apologies, but you should understand that Kisuke himself requested this." 'I know,' Kitamura said, 'I trust that this was done discreetly. It would break my wife's heart to learn of this, and it would be especially traumatic for my younger son Kujo. He looks up to Kisuke, and learning that Kisuke might be Kira would not be good for him.' L couldn't help feeling sorry for the deputy director. "Very well. In that case I must ask that you make up some believable reason for Kisuke to be absent from home and school."

He turned on the mic for Kisuke's cell and contacted him. Inside, Kisuke was trying his best to ignore Ryuk, who was again going through withdrawal symptoms without his apples. _"You feeling okay in there Kisuke?," _came L's voice over the loudspeaker, _"You should know that there have been no new deaths for the past week. I must admit, it's really not looking good for you."_ Kisuke nodded. "I know. I guess I look pretty pathetic in here huh? But, this foolish pride of mine... I suppose I'll have to... Get rid of it." Upon hearing those words, Ryuk calmed down immediately. **"You got it, Kisuke. See ya."** And he walked out of the cell, erasing Kisuke's memories of the Death Note as he did.

Now just an ordinary person, Kisuke suddenly began looking around him, as if confused. _'What's going on? Why am I in here? This isn't right... I shouldn't be here.'_ "Ryuzaki," he said in a different tone from before, "I know I was the one who requested this, but you have to listen. I just realized that this whole thing is completely pointless, because I know that I can't possibly be Kira." Upon hearing this, the members of the task force gasped. "No way," Matsuda said, "This is almost like what happened with Misa." Light was completely dumbstruck. _'This change in demeanor. The look in his face. It's as if everything he's done since the case began never existed for him.'_

L started chewing his thumb. _'This is completely unusual. It's as if the whole world has been turned on its ear.'_ He spoke into the mic. "I'm sorry Kisuke, but I gave you my word that I wouldn't release you until I was convinced you weren't Kira." _"Well, I wasn't thinking straight," _Kisuke said over the monitor, _"I mean, how can anyone commit all those murders and not show at least some sort of emotion. Listen, Ryuzaki, we're wasting time here. For all we know, the real Kira could be out there waiting to make his next move. I know there's a lot of evidence against me, but at the same time I can't help but feel that I've been framed somehow."_ L turned off the mic. "Well, this isn't like Kisuke at all. It's like he's someone else entirely."

* * *

Another week passed, then Matsuda came bursting back into the hotel. "You guys hear the news?!" Aizawa nodded. "Two whole weeks worth of criminals dying in one day. Kira's back, and he's making up for lost time." _"Excuse me,"_ Misa said over the monitor, _"Mr. Stalker. I have to go the bathroom. Please, that's the only time you'll untie me. Besides, you'll get to watch me right? That's what you want, isn't it...? You... you pervert!" _L was taken aback. "I'm a... pervert...?" He shook his head to clear it, then contacted Kisuke. "Kisuke, as of right now there are still no new murders being reported. So then, are you ready to admit to being Kira?" _"Of course not," _Kisuke said, _"Because I know I'm not Kira."_

L then switched over to Misa. "**Ms. Amane. It's been two weeks so far. Now, are you ready to give us Kira's identity?**" _"I can't give you what I don't know," _Misa said, _"I mean, I'm grateful to Kira for punishing the man who killed my parents, and I would like to meet him someday. But I'm telling you right now I don't even know who he is. And if I may be frank, this video of yours won't sell for very much if it's just me tied up here." _"She still seems convinced that this is the work of a stalker," Labrys said, "It's as if their minds are complete blank slates. A lot of missing events in their memories. It's crazy." L nodded. "I must say, I'm really confused as to what's going on here."

Next chapter: Execution

"If you lose the Death Note or have it stolen, you will lose its ownership unless you retrieve it within four-hundred and ninety days."

**The less there is to write about in an episode, the shorter that chapter will be. Don't worry, it'll pick up in a bit. Read and review.**


	17. Chapter 17: Execution

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"If you have traded the eye power of a god of death, you will lose the eye power as well as the memory of the Death Note, once you lose its ownership. At the same time, the remaining half of your life will not be restored."

Chapter 17: Execution

Rem stood behind a businessman in his mid-thirties. In front of him was the Death Note, and he was writing in it. On the projection screen in front of him were the names and faces of criminals who had recently been broadcast on the news. **"All you have to do is use this Death Note to punish criminals on a regular basis,"** Rem said, **"Beyond that you are free to use it however you wish. Just make sure to keep killing at a regular pace."** The businessman smiled. He already had plans in place to use the Death Note to his benefit. As Rem watched the businessman continue to write, she thought to herself, _**'If this keeps up, there's a good chance that Misa will be free soon.'**_

* * *

"It's been over a month now," Naoto said, "And still nothing. At this point, I'd say it's clear that neither Kisuke nor Misa can be behind these killings." She turned to L. "I know you had wanted to continue seeing Kisuke as Kira since we don't have any other suspects, but right now it's looks like the real Kira is still out there, and he's working hard." L sighed. "I suppose your right. It's a little upsetting really. Up until now I've never been wrong, but I suppose there's a first time for everything. However before we release them from their confinement, there's one last thing we must do." He called up Director Kitamura and had him come over.

* * *

"I must admit," Kitamura said upon seeing L's face for the first time, "You're not what I expected." L smirked. "My apologies if my appearance did not live up to your expectations. Anyway, it's been a month now and criminals have continued to die regardless of Kisuke's confinement. We know that Kira needs a name and a face to kill someone, and Kisuke had access to neither of these. That has started to punch some holes in my assumption that he is Kira. Additionally, we had come to believe that Misa Amane, supposedly Kisuke's girlfriend, was the Second Kira. However by the same token it is becoming apparent that she also cannot be behind these killings, as the Second Kira only needs a face." Kitamura nodded. "That's good news I suppose, but I doubt you would have called me over here unless you wanted to know for sure whether your suspicions were unfounded."

"You're right of course," L said, "Because there are a few things that bother me. First off, it was Misa's DNA and fingerprints we found on the tapes sent to Sakura TV, however we found nothing in her home that could be used to make them and Misa herself seems to have no knowledge of ever making them. Second, many of the criminals who have died recently have had their names and faces publicly available since before Kisuke and Misa's confinement, suggesting their deaths could have been set up in advance, but there are enough criminals whose identities were broadcast after this event who have died to lend credence to the contrary. A great deal of contradictory evidence, saying that Kisuke both is and isn't Kira. And so I need your help for one final test." Kitamura closed his eyes. "Name it."

* * *

"I'm surprised," Misa said as she was driven to Kisuke's location by Kitamura, "I never thought my stalker would be some old man." "I'm not your stalker," Kitamura said, "I'm with the police. I assume you remember being arrested on suspicion of being the Second Kira." Misa nodded. "Yeah, but I thought that was a gag. I even thought I heard my friend Rise's voice, but then again, I don't see why she would have helped with something like this. Anyway, I'm glad I'm finally being released so I can see Kisuke again." Kitamura said nothing as he drove to the place where Aizawa was waiting with Kisuke. When Kisuke saw Misa, his eyes lit up. "Misa... Thank goodness your safe." He then saw his father coming out of the car. "Dad what are you doing here?"

Misa became flustered. "This is your father?! I had no idea... Oh no, I just called him old, and I think I actually called him a pervert. I'm very sorry Mr. Kitamura." "It's alright," Kitamura said, "If you would both please get in the car." As they drove off, Kisuke said, "So I guess we're being released, right?" Kitamura closed his eyes solemnly. "No. I'm sorry Kisuke, but I'm afraid you're being led to your execution." Misa and Kisuke gasped. "What?!," Kisuke said in shock, "Dad, what are you saying?!" "It's the only way," Kitamura said, "L says that's the only way the killings will stop. You may have heard otherwise, but the truth is that criminals never stopped dying even after your confinement."

Kisuke's eyes widened. "Wait a minute. Then why go ahead and have us executed? If they never stopped dying doesn't that mean that someone else has to be Kira." "Perhaps," Kitamura said, "However, at this point it's political. The Heads of State have weighed in and agreed with L's decision. However..." He suddenly veered off the road and parked on the riverbank. "If it must be done... I would prefer to do it myself!" He pulled a gun from the glove box and pointed it at Kisuke's head. "Dad, no!," Kisuke yelled, "What are you doing?!" Misa was frantic. "Stop it Mr. Kitamura, please! This is your son!" "I know," Kitamura said, "So I will kill him first, and then myself. Kisuke, forgive me. From one murderer to another..." He pulled back the safety. "I'll see you in Hell!"

He pulled the trigger, but all that came was the click of an empty barrel. It took Kisuke a minute to realize what had happened. "It... It's not loaded... The gun wasn't loaded." Kitamura sighed as he slumped into the driver's seat. "That was the hardest thing I've ever had to do in my career. Well, Ryuzaki, are you satisfied?" Kisuke looked at the front of the car to see there was a camera installed in above the rear-view mirror. _"Yes Director Kitamura,"_ came L's voice from a hidden mic,_ "You pulled it off and you're still alive. Now I am certain Kisuke and Misa cannot be either of the two Kiras. Since the Second Kira needs only someone's face to kill, I'm certain Misa would have killed you to protect Kisuke if she were the Second Kira. As for Kisuke himself, I'm certain he wouldn't hesitate to kill even his father to protect himself."_

Kisuke and Misa both breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at each other. _"So then," _L said, _"Kisuke, Misa, as of right now your confinement will end. However, until further notice Misa will put under regular surveillance. You will be allowed to resume your daily life, but we will have someone from the IVK monitor your actions. As for Kisuke, you and I will be in close contact twenty-four hours a day. Naturally during this time you will be allowed to rejoin the Kira investigation. Is this acceptable?"_ Kisuke smiled and nodded. "Sure. We'll catch Kira together, I know it."

* * *

Back at the hotel, L had Kisuke handcuffed to his wrist. They were separated only by a chain about five feet in length. "Whoa," Misa said, "This is what you what you meant by close contact? I never knew. Maybe you're on that side of the fence." "Please don't make any remarks about homosexuality around Rokuten," Naoto said, "He once was mistaken for being as such and it still pisses him off sometimes." L grumbled. "To be honest I'm not happy about this arrangement myself. By the way Misa, how would you feel if you were to learn that Kisuke is Kira?" Misa thought for a minute, then ran over to grab Kisuke by the arm. "I guess if that were the case I'd love him even more. I'll always be grateful to Kira for punishing the man who killed my parents."

Rise smiled nervously. "You know you look more suspicious when you say that right?" Misa giggled. "Yeah, but it's okay, because I know I'm not the Second Kira, and soon enough every one else will now it. Oh yeah, if Kisuke and Ryuzaki are chained like this, how will we go on dates?" "Well," L said, "At first I was planning on joining you for that. But... As I'm apparently already a pervert in your eyes I came up with an alternative. During those moments when you and Kisuke are dating, one couple from the Inaba team will be joining you." "So which of the four couples will be first?," Misa asked. Naoto took off her hat to show her face more clearly. "Five couples... I'm a girl." Misa became embarrassed. "Oh, sorry."

Yukiko giggled at this, causing everyone to stare at her. "I suppose we can have Nobunaga and Kanzeon be the first to join you," L said, "If that's alright with Kisuke." Kisuke nodded. "Better than having Misa grumble about you practically butting in us. If someone does have to monitor us on a date, I'd prefer it to be another couple so it seems more natural. Oh yeah, one more thing. We need to do something about this hotel hopping situation. If we're chained together like this, it could draw attention." L smiled. "Actually, I've already made arrangements for a more permanent headquarters." He walked over to his computer, dragging Kisuke behind him.

L brought up a file containing blueprints for a new skyscraper, then brought up a picture of the tower in question. "I had this new building commissioned just after making contact with Inaba Investigations. It's mere days from completion. It has twenty-three floors above ground and two below. If we get any more people on the task force, we can accommodate as many as sixty investigators. Even after the case is solved, it is my hope that the Inaba team will continue to use this building for all future investigations. It is outfitted with every piece of equipment a detective could need, including a fully functioning forensics lab, surveillance center, and communications department. Misa will be having one floor to herself for the duration of her surveillance. Speaking off which..."

He turned around. "Misa will be monitored in her day-to-day life by Detective Matsuda, posing as her new manager Taro Matsui. We will also have two new detectives joining us." The door opened, and Yu gasped. "Uncle Ryotaro? What are you doing here?" Into the room walked Ryotaro Dojima, Yu's uncle. He was in his mid-thirties, and had blackish-gray hair and matching eyes with a five-o-clock shadow. He was wearing his usual gray dress shirt and black pants with his coat draped over his shoulder. Dojima smiled at his nephew. "Just escorting an old friend." The Inaba team gasped when they saw who was behind him. It was Tohru Adachi, once again dressed in his black detective's suit.

"You wanna explain what a convicted murderer is doing here?," Labrys said. "We need all the help we can get," L said, "And before you ask, no, Adachi has not been pardoned. He is, however, helping to investigate in exchange for a chance to receive parole in a few years. Don't forget he was able to evade the ten of you for a full year. I'd say that says a lot about his abilities as a detective." Adachi sighed. "Not by much. They only had their full gang together hours before they captured me." Kisuke looked at him. "How come he hasn't been killed by Kira yet if he murdered someone?" "Two reasons," L said, "One, his name and face were never released to the public. Second, even if they had, Adachi had pled guilty to his crimes, and we've noticed that Kira had avoided killing criminals who have pled guilty or otherwise were truly sorry for the crimes they had committed."

Yu smiled at Adachi. "Well, I guess if Ryuzaki trusts you, we can. Besides, you really have changed since that day." L nodded. "Good. One last thing. Once we have established ourselves at our new headquarters, the Inaba team will no longer be going by aliases. However, you are still to address me as Ryuzaki. Understood." He turned to see Matsuda getting a good look at Adachi. "Wow, he almost looks like he could be related to me." L frowned. "Knock it off Matsuda. Jeez, what an idiot." Matsuda flinched. "I could hear that you know..." Light smirked. "Oh, he knows. Boy does he know."

* * *

Inside a large meeting room of the Yotsuba Corporation, eight men from the higher-ups at the company sat at an octagonal table. Each of them was dressed in similar black business suits. The first was Kyosuke Higuchi, who had a mop of brown hair and matching eyes. The second was Shingo Mido, who had well-groomed brown hair and darker eyes behind a pair of reading glasses. The third was Reiji Namikawa, who had shoulder-length black hair and dark blue eyes as well as appearing to be the youngest of them. The fourth was Eiichi Takahashi, an older individual in his forties with dirty blonde hair and beady black eyes with a faint mustache.

The fifth was Suguru Shimura, who had a withered looking face as well and short black hair and matching eyes. The sixth was Masahiko Kida, a professional looking individual with short and tidy black hair with his eyes partly hidden behind a pair of sunglasses. The seventh was Takeshi Ooi, the oldest of the group with a large muscular body who was completely bald and had his eyes hidden behind a pair of dark glasses. The eight and final of these men was Arayoshi Hatori, who had short white hair and brown eyes. These eight men, so close to the top position of Yotsuba, had gathered for one purpose.

Each of them claimed to have received a call from someone claiming to be Kira, who said that they had decided to support Yotsuba by killing off businessmen from rival companies in addition to the usual criminals. Of course, they all knew that one amongst them was lying, and was in fact Kira himself. "It seems rather strange that Kira would take an interest in business," Namikawa said, "But I for one am not going to question it." The others agreed. Ooi held up some business papers. "So then, on to the main reason for our meeting. We have to decide who Kira should kill next." In a corner of the room, just behind Higuchi, Rem watched as the eight men discussed their plans. _**'Humans are such... Revolting creatures.'**_

Next chapter: Ally

"You may lend the Death Note to another person while maintaining its ownership. Subletting it to yet another individual is possible, too."

**The idea to bring Adachi back was a little last minute, but I think it'll work out. So, read and review.**


	18. Chapter 18: Ally

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"The borrower of the Death Note will not be followed by a god of death. The god of death always remains with the owner of the Death Note. Also the borrower can not trade the eyesight of the god of death."

Chapter 18: Ally

Aizawa drove into the special vehicle elevator for the new III, or Inaba Investigations Incorporated. The elevator was meant to take vehicles to a sub-basement garage, with a second elevator for access to the intel and surveillance center. The elevator came equipped with fingerprint and retinal scanners. After the scanner confirmed his identity, Aizawa was taken down to the sub-basement. He then stepped in front of the metal detector at the door. After placed everything he had in his pockets on the side counter, he tried it. The scanner alarm still went off, so Aizawa tried taking off his belt. That didn't seem to work, so he simply threw off his pants, entering the center in his just his shirt and boxers.

"I guess that new security system is a bit too sensitive," Naoto said, "We should have Watari look into that." Yukiko giggled. "You look so funny Aizawa." Aizawa grinned nervously. Soichiro cleared his throat to avoid laughing as well, then noticed Aizawa had a bandage on his forehead. "Did you get injured somehow?" Aizawa was confused for a second, then remembered the bandage. "Oh, just a small fight with my wife. Things have been a little hectic, so I decided to sleep at home." "Well you'll be missing out," Matsuda said, "This place is amazing. You should just move your family in here like Dojima did."

Aizawa groaned. "That's easy for you to say, you're a bachelor. And besides, Dojima's wife and daughter are easy to move. Nanako's used to being on her own, and Sayoko is a registered nurse who can work just about anywhere." "Speaking of," Dojima said, "You should have her look at that bump just in case." Aizawa sighed and looked at the wide-screen monitor. "So, Light and Rise are the first ones to watch Kisuke and Misa, huh?" "Yes that's right," L said, "We still need to keep an eye on Misa since we believe she may have some connection to the second Kira."

* * *

In Misa's room, the two couples were enjoying their date together. "I'm surprised you're not trying any of the cake Misa," Rise said. Misa just shrugged. "I don't eat cake since it makes you fat." Rise giggled. "Well, that's what gyms are for." "You actually go to a gym?," Misa said, "I remember you did that commercial for some sort of diet soda." Rise nodded. "Yeah, but I was following a script then. Say, that reminds me, we have that movie coming up in a few weeks. Should be fun." Kisuke looked over to Light. "Something wrong?" "Well," Light said, "It's just that Ryuzaki has been a little depressed as of late. You see, he was a little disappointed when all his deductions were proven wrong. Don't take this the wrong way, but he was actually hoping you were Kira."

Kisuke frowned. "I see. That's a little upsetting. I mean, he did call me a friend. I'd hoped that might have counted for something. Not that I can blame him of course, he's solved so many cases by himself, never being wrong once. I suppose he hinged his entire case on the idea that I am Kira." Light nodded. "Well, he still thinks you were Kira, up until you somehow lost all your memories. That's made him think that perhaps Kira is little more than some sort of supernatural power that can pass instantly between people making trying to catch him pointless." Kisuke pounded his fist on the sofa arm. "There's nothing pointless about it. We both know how evil Kira is. All we have to do is find some way of pinning him down and I'm sure Ryuzaki will snap out of it."

* * *

At their meeting room, the Yotsuba Group was discussing their recent events. "We seem to have some minor issues," Ooi said, "Of the three people we had killed last week, all three of them died of heart attacks. I thought we agreed that one would be accidental death." "We did," Kida said, "But in that case we had a specific location mentioned. It turns out that person wasn't even in Japan. He was in Italy with his mistress." Namikawa crossed his arms. "Well that explains it. Since the manner of death we chose was impossible, Kira went with his default method of killing." Higuchi chuckled. "It's like I said last week. If you want someone to die discreetly, then simply suggest accidental death or disease and Kira will find the best possible way to get it done."

Hatori looked at him. "What will we do if the police start tracking this? I can't possibly see them ignoring so many businessmen dying for too long." "We should be fine," Namikawa said, "After all as far as they know, Kira only kills criminals. Even amongst the people we've had die of heart attacks, all of them were individuals you'd expect to suffer from that sort of thing. Besides, I've already taken the fact that the police may get involved into account. Very soon they'll be receiving a message from Kira, one that should get them to stop investigating." Mido adjusted his glasses. "Very well, but that still leaves L to deal with. He will not be so easy to frighten off." Kida smiled. "Not to worry. Don't forget he's not the only detective in the world."

* * *

Kisuke was busy on one of the computers at the III when he noticed something. "Well now, this is interesting. Hey Ryuzaki, come take a look at this." L slid his chair over to see what Kisuke was up to. "It seems there have been a number of prominent businessmen who have died of heart attacks in the past few months, all of them leaders in their respective fields. As expected this has created a downturn in the market, except for one group." Light came over and gasped when he saw the name. _'Yotsuba... Does this mean Higuchi has now become involved? That man is dangerous. If this truly is him... But, no... Not yet. There's no proof.'_

"I think you're right," Light said to Kisuke, "It seems clear that Kira is now supporting Yotsuba for whatever reason. Perhaps we're dealing with yet another Kira." L's eyes lit up. "A third Kira... And one's that's much easier to track..." Light and Kisuke could already see that L was cheering up. Soichiro and Mogi soon came in with grim faces. "Hey there Chief," Matsuda said, "We've just learned that the Yotsuba Corporation may be involved with Kira." Soichiro nodded. "I see... Ryuzaki, we may have a problem. Kira has recently sent an ultimatum to the NPA, stating that unless they drop out of the Kira investigation, he will begin killing off important politicians. Unfortunately the Head Director has given in to these demands."

The whole team gasped at this. Soichiro nodded. "Mogi and I have decided that we're going to resign as police officers so that we can continue investigating. Matsuda, Aizawa, you two should make that decision for yourselves." Matsuda frowned. "What about Dojima?" "I'm not part of the NPA," Dojima said, "I'm a minor detective from a rural community. I should be able to slip under the radar." Matsuda nodded. "Okay, but Chief what about your family? Light aside, you have a wife and daughter to think about. What will you do when the case is over?" Soichiro smiled. "I guess I'll just have to dust off my resume."

L listened to all this. "Personally I think you would be better off as police, though it is your choice. Dojima's right, Kira won't notice if one detective from a small rural town gets involved, especially if he's the only one from that town. But the rest of you are much more noticeable. I'll be alright. Even without the help of the NPA, I still have the Inaba team, as well as Dojima, Adachi, and Kisuke. I realize I said I would need the police to assist me, but that's only because as an organization they had resources I could make use of. If the police are so willing to step aside and let Kira work, then I have no use for them."

Matsuda nodded. "Well, I'm going to stay. I don't care if I have to quit the police. I wanna keep investigating and catch Kira. I mean really, anyone who wouldn't think that way is a real loser." "Matsuda!," Soichiro barked, "Think before you speak from now on." Matsuda then remembered Aizawa was still undecided. Matsuda frowned. "Sorry Aizawa, I got carried away." "No," Aizawa said, "It's okay. Truth be told, I'm not sure what I should I do. I mean, if there was any way I could stay with the police and still investigate..." He turned to L hopefully. L closed his eyes. "I'm afraid that won't be possible. You either stay with the police or stay with us."

Aizawa sighed and headed for the door. Just then Watari came in over the monitor. _"Ryuzaki, I thought you had set aside a trust fund for the NPA detectives and their families in the event their jobs were compromised in any way. I'm surprised you haven't mentioned it up until this point."_ "What, really?," Matsuda said, "That's great, right Aizawa?" But Aizawa looked totally livid. "I get it, you kept this from us as a test right. To make sure we would be totally committed. Well fine then! If I wasn't sure before, then I am now! I'm outta here! I never actually liked you in the first place, Ryuzaki, or the way you do things!" He stormed out the door. "Don't worry! I don't plan on leaking any information!"

L stirred his coffee. "Well it's a shame he feels that way, because I actually did like him. Anyway there you have it. Your families will be well taken care regardless of your unemployment. Publicly the task force is now disbanded, but we will continue to investigate Kira in secret. As of right now, all our focus will be on the Yotsuba Corporation." The team went about their individual tasks. Soon enough Light caught another victim outside Kira's normal activity. "Seems we have a president of a bank who's a major competitor with Yotsuba. Died on September seventh after he slipped and fell on some stairs." Soichiro looked over some notes he had with him. "If I'm not mistaken, that's on a Friday yes?"

Teddie looked at the notes. "Seems we have a few early days when businessmen die more widely, then after a bit all their deaths fell on the weekends. Between Friday night and Saturday afternoon from the look of it." Light smiled. "That's pretty impressive Dad, good work." "Well," Soichiro said, "I can't fall behind all you younger investigators. I'd hate to be dead weight after all." Matsuda frowned. "Dead weight huh...?" Mogi came in with a stack of papers. "Here's a list of all the employees who work for the Yotsuba corporation." Adachi started looking through the files. "From Kira's recent actions, I'd say we're looking for someone high on the executive ladder, but not so high they'd need to use Kira's power to improve the company."

L nodded. "It shouldn't take too long to sort through all these files. Mogi is quite efficient, I'll admit." Matsuda stood up. "Ryuzaki, is there any way I can help. Besides being Misa's manager of course." L looked at him. "Well... Could you get me another cup of coffee? And one for our guests too." Matsuda turned to see that two more people were in they room, a man and a woman. The man looked to be somewhere in his mid-thirties, and had dirty blonde hair that came down his neck and well and bright blue eyes. He was dressed in gray formal where that was worn rather informally, such as having his coat unbuttoned. The woman almost looked like an older version of Misa, only a lot more serious. Her eyes were covered by dark sunglasses, and she wore a stripped fur coat with a black fur cap.

"Everyone," L said, "Allow me to introduce Aiber, a life-long con man, and Wedy, a professional thief. Aiber had incredible social skills which come in handy when getting close to his targets. We'll use him for infiltration. As for Wedy, she specializes in cracking the most sophisticated security systems money can buy. Just to test her, I had her try to sneak in here without setting off any alarms, which she did almost effortlessly. We'll be using her talents to set up surveillance. Neither of these individuals have ever been caught, so there's no chance they'll be found by Kira." Soichiro frowned. "Are you expecting us to work with criminals to apprehend Kira?" "Dad, we're already working with a convicted murderer," Light said, "And you didn't seem to have any problem with him." Soichiro became flustered. "Oh, right. I nearly forgot."

* * *

Aizawa sat on a bench in a park in middle of the city. Someone, despite everything he said to L, regret still tugged at him. _'I feel like I let you down, Ukita. I swore on your grave that I would help catch Kira no matter what... And here I go letting my feelings get in the way. Maybe I should have quit, cause I don't deserve to be a detective if this is how I'm going to act.'_ Just then, Aizawa's wife and daughter happened to pass by. Yumi, Aizawa's daughter, was a very little girl barely under ten. She had straight brown hair and matching eyes, and wearing a white shirt with red overall dress. Eriko, Aizawa's wife, looked the same only much older, and wore a heavy autumn jacket with a scarf draped around her neck.

Upon seeing her father, Yumi eagerly went to hug him. "Hi Daddy, what are you doing here?" "Honey," Eriko said when she saw how sad Aizawa looked, "What's wrong? Are you going to be home this evening, because I went shopping recently and only have enough for me and Yumi." Yumi giggled. "That's okay, Daddy can have my dinner, and I'll go right on to dessert." Aizawa smiled weakly. "I'm alright Eriko, I just have some time off is all." Yumi looked delighted. "So does that mean you have vacation?" Aizawa nodded. "Yeah... A very... Very long vacation." He began crying, causing Yumi to looked confused. "Daddy, what's wrong? Momma, why is Daddy crying?"

Next chapter: Matsuda

"When the owner of the Death Note dies while the Note is being lent, its ownership will be transferred to the person who is holding it at that time."

**There are some things that are even more difficult to tell a little girl than "your Mom/Dad is dead", wouldn't you say? So anyway, read and review.**


	19. Chapter 19: Matsuda

**Check it out. This whole chapter is dedicated to Touta Matsuda. It's even in the title. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"If the Death Note is stolen and the owner is killed by the thief, its ownership will automatically be transferred to the thief."

Chapter 19: Matsuda

Misa and Rise were on the set of the new movie they were doing together. The basic plot was that there was a young man, played by Hideki Ryuga, who was vital to ending the war between angels and demons. Misa was playing a young angel who was hoping to save the young man, while Rise played a succubus who was trying to seduce him. They were close to the finale for a happy ending, but there was one small problem. "I can't believe you're refusing to do love scenes just because you have a boyfriend," Rise said to Misa, "I have one to, but I still act professional." Misa just shrugged. "Well, you know that Light still loves you. I know how I feel about Kisuke, but I'm not sure how he feels about me."

It was the final scene where the hero was to confess his love for the angel and beg her to stay, to which the angel was suppose to return his feelings, but Misa was having a hard time going through with it. Off to the side, Matsuda was standing around thinking to himself. _'Everyone is working so hard. They all have important jobs, and here I am stuck as a manager. Sure it may be Misa-Misa, but I'd still like a chance to prove I can be useful to the investigation.'_ He looked to one side and noticed the Yotsuba Corporation's Tokyo office. _'It's so close to here. I wonder...'_ He dropped the coffee he was holding and ran to get a taxi. Sitting down in her chair, Misa looked a little miffed. "Where on Earth is Matsu? He's never around when I need him. Jeez Rise, why can't I have manager as efficient as yours?" Rise noticed Matsuda's coffee cup on the ground. "It looks like he had to go somewhere."

* * *

Matsuda soon arrived at the Yotsuba building and snuck past the security office. As he reached the main elevators, he thought to himself, _'Maybe I should search all the offices. No... No, I'd get caught that way. I need to find some way to narrow my search.'_ Just then he saw Takahashi and Shimura standing in front of an elevator that had just been taken. "Never fails," Shimura said, "And right when we're called for those damn confidential meetings." Takahashi smirked. "Look on the bright side, at least it's on the weekend. With how long those meetings can go on, can you imagine if we had to do this on a Monday?" Shimura smiled. "I see your point. Ah, here's the elevator." Matsuda waited until they had gotten on and the door had closed. Making sure no one else was in the hall, he checked the number panels until the elevator stopped on the nineteenth floor. Then he took the stairs, going the long way to make he got there after Takahashi and Shimura.

He soon came to a large set of double doors on the nineteenth floor. Carefully placing his ear against them, he tried to make out a few words. Soon enough, he caught the words "have Kira get rid of him". _'I did it!,'_ Matsuda said, _'Now I can say the people in this room are connected with Kira!'_ But at that moment, the door was opened causing him to tumble into the room. He came face-to-face with eight angry individuals. Thinking quickly, he reached for his pockets, covertly pressing the signal button on his belt. He then pulled the fake business card and a photo of Misa from his pocket. "Excuse me for barging in like this," Matsuda said, "My name is Taro Matsui with Yoshida Productions. I was wondering if you'd consider my client, Misa-Misa, for your next commercial campaign." The Yotsuba Group didn't know what to think.

* * *

Meanwhile, the III was continuing to go over the list of Yotsuba employees. "Seems there are a total of fifty-seven executives who fit our profile," Dojima said, "Now we need someway to narrow it down even further." Light and Kisuke were going over the list of suspects. "Say Light," Kisuke said, "What if you had the same power as Kira? I mean, would you go and use it to kill all the criminals in the world?" Light crossed his arms and thought about it. "If you had asked me that question two, maybe three years ago, I might have said yes. We both know how rotten this world has become, but I've come to realize that at the same time it's capable of healing itself. What Kira's doing, I can honestly say it's only buying time. You know the old saying that corruption is no different than cancer? Well I think that applies here."

Kisuke nodded. "I guess you're right. I've kinda been thinking to myself about what I might do if I were Kira. But that's crazy, right? I mean, I'm not Kira so I shouldn't think like that." Just then, Watari came in over the monitor. _"Ryuzaki, we have confirmed that Yotsuba has commissioned a private contract for Detective Eraldo Coil. The assignment is to track down the identity of L."_ Adachi looked confused. "I know I've heard the name Eraldo Coil before, but who is he?" Soichiro frowned. "He's the world's second greatest detective, right after L himself. This is bad, we still only have so many members." L calmly ate his cake. "It's quite alright. The detective known as Eraldo Coil is me."

Kisuke looked interested to hear this. "What do you mean?" "Right now," L said, "The top five detectives in the world are L, Eraldo Coil, Deneuve, Light Yagami, and Naoto Shirogane. Of those five, the first three are aliases of myself. In reality, Light is the real second greatest detective." "I get it," Dojima said, "It's yet another defense to keep any enemies from finding you." L nodded. "Now that we know that Yotsuba is trying to find my identity, likely to have me killed, we have more proof that they are involved with Kira." He turned to Aiber. "It looks like we have the perfect assignment for you. For the purpose of our investigation, we'll have you play the part of Coil. We'll have Wedy make sure we can sneak past Yotuba's security measures and plant surveillance."

He swiveled around in his chair. "Remember that we are dealing with Kira here, any sudden action could have us killed almost instantly. We can't act rash or make any impulsive moves." Suddenly, Watari spoke up. _"Ryuzaki, I'm receiving a transmission from Matsuda. It seems to be coming from within the Yotsuba Corporation's Tokyo office."_ There was a general groan from the team. "Disregard what I just said," L said with a sigh, "Matsuda, you idiot." Labrys looked at L. "So what now? I mean, I know that if Matsuda dies that'll confirm Yotsuba is working with Kira, but at the same time we can't leave him hanging." L considered it, then picked up his cell phone.

* * *

In a side room of the Yotsuba building, Matsuda was being watched by Shimura and Hatori. _'These two are just guards,'_ Matsuda thought, _'They're making sure I stay put until the others decide what to do with me.'_ Hatori glared at him. "I gotta say, it's a little suspicious for a manager to come by and introduce his client without bringing her." "Oh," Matsuda said, "Well the truth is Misa-Misa's doing a movie not too far from here. But if you wait a little while, she'll be finished and can come right over." Hatori didn't seem convinced but took a look at the picture anyway. "Hm. Well I will admit she is cute looking." Just then Matsuda's cell rang. Matsuda cautiously looked at his captors. "It's alright," Shimura said, "Go ahead and answer it. Make sure to hold the phone from your ear and don't say where you are."

* * *

L was on the other line, trying to assess the situation. "Yo, Matsui. It's your old buddy Asahi, how's it going?" 'Just fine,' Matsuda said, sounding slightly nervous, 'Glad to hear from you again.' L covered the phone briefly. "He's still alive, but something is making him nervous." He talked back into the phone. "So, you home right now?" 'Yeah, that's right,' Matsuda said, 'Just hanging around at home all alone.' L covered the phone again. "He's not with Misa right now, he must have gotten away from her at some point." He picked the phone back up. "So you want to go drinking again tonight?" 'Sorry,' Matsuda said, 'I can't right now. I'm a little busy.' Putting the phone down again, he said, "Seems Matsuda has other company." He talked into the phone again. "Don't tell me your wallet's in trouble again?"

After a second, Matsuda answered, 'Yep, big trouble with money. You know me too well Asahi.' L frowned and put the phone back down. "Seems Matsuda's in trouble right now." He picked the phone back up. "Okay, guess I'll see you later then." He hung up. "Well, it seems that Yotsuba has caught Matsuda. However, I think I know how we can get him out of there. Kisuke, I'm going to need you to contact Misa for something." Kisuke nodded and called Misa's phone. It didn't take long for her to answer. 'Hey, Kisuke! I'm so glad to hear from you. Can you believe Matsu just walked off on me? Huh...? Hang on, I'm getting a call on my work phone.'

Realizing who it might be, Kisuke had Misa hold the two phones together so they could here who it is was. Sure enough, it was Matsuda. 'Guess what Misa-Misa? The Yotsuba Corporation has agreed to consider you for its next ad campaign.' Misa sounded ecstatic. 'What?! Are you serious?! Why didn't you tell about this Matsu? That was so awesome of you!' "Well now," L said, "That's half the work done before we could even get started. Kisuke, for the next part of our plan, we're going to need Misa's full cooperation. She'll listen to you and do whatever you say, so if you don't mind?" Kisuke nodded and started giving Misa instructions.

* * *

Misa showed up in the Yotsuba Group's meeting office wearing a rather revealing pink two-piece. "Hey there," Misa said, "My name is Misa-Misa. My only role is, I don't do nudes, but swimsuits and lingerie are fine. By they way Matsu, the studio agreed to have a little event hosted since Yotsuba is such a big catch." She led the group to her apartment in a separate building from the III. Waiting for them were a bunch of other girls, including the female members of the Inaba team, dressed in different colored verions of Misa's outfit. "These are the other Yoshida girls," Misa explained, "We invite you to sit, relax, and have a drink with us." The Yotsuba Group was dumbfounded. "Is it just me," Shimura said, "Or is this getting weird of all a sudden?"

Mido cleared his throat. "Well, I suppose it can't be helped. We still need to keep an eye on Matsui." Takahashi stepped into the room. "Let's just enjoy ourselves guys, I needed a break anyway." The others shrugged and followed him. As they enjoyed the drinks, which were in fact just soft drinks, Matsuda pretended to get drunk, grabbed Misa's cell phone, and stumbled out, saying, "See in you a bit... I have to use the restroom." No one seemed to notice, and as soon as he closed the door, he walked a few paces and dashed for the restroom. He quickly called up L, saying, "Are you watching right now?"

'Yes I am,' L said, 'Too be honest this is a bit bone-headed even for you, but on the other hand it's helped us to narrow down our list of suspects. I assume you overheard something.' "That's right," Matsuda said, "Apparently the eight of them hold secret confidential meetings every Friday, not to mention they all fit the profile Adachi gave." 'Good to know,' L said, 'You've certainly cut down our workload, though I can think of a number of safer ways to prove yourself to the investigation. As it stands, the only way to save you now is to have you die... Now, listen carefully.' Matsuda listened intently, his eyes wide. _'That sounds pretty crazy. But then again, I've been doing nothing but this whole time.'_

After a few minutes, he burst into the sitting room, appearing to be completely belligerent. "Man... Am I drunk..." Staggering over to the balcony, he slid open the door and said, "Here it is folks! What you've all been waiting for, the Taro Matsui show!" He climbed up on the edge of the balcony railing and started balancing on it. Shimura rushed over to try and talk him down, but Matsuda just said, "Relax... I'm a professional..." He did a handstand and used his new position to look for his landing point. Spotting it, he deliberately slipped off the railing and landed on a mattress propped up on the balcony one floor below where Soichiro and Mogi were waiting. Mogi then threw a sandbag over the balcony.

Hearing the thud, the Yotsuba Group members rushed over and looked over the balcony. They saw a body on the ground. It was, in fact, Aiber dressed in clothes similar to Matsuda and wearing a black wig. Wedy was standing nearby, pretending to discover the body. "Oh no! I heard a thud and rushed over here. It looks like someone fell." Back on the balcony, Misa ushered the group members out. "Sorry about this folks, it's looks like you'll have to leave. Don't worry, the company will handle this. And please remember to consider me for your next commercial." The Yotsuba Group filed out and took one final look on the street. A crowd had gathered, and the "body" was being carried away on a gurney by two "first responders", who were in fact Dojima and Adachi.

Inside the ambulance, Aiber took off the wig. "That had to have been the worst role I've ever played. Why couldn't Adachi do that?" Adachi smirked. "I'm better at finding bodies than playing them. Besides, we had to make it look believable." In the other apartment, Matsuda breathed a sigh of relief. He knew even if Kira tried to kill him somehow later just to be sure, it wouldn't work since he had only given out his alias, and it was clear that Kira didn't have the powers of the Second Kira. He was safe, and he knew it. "That was very brave of you Matsuda," Soichiro said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Yeah," Matsuda said with a smile, "But I sure don't want to do that again."

* * *

A few days later, Kida was at his desk when he got a call from an unknown number. He answered it. 'Greetings,' came Aiber's voice, 'You're Masahiko Kida, Vice President of Yotsuba's Rights and Planning department, correct?' "Yes, that's right," Kida said, "And who am I speaking to?" 'My name is Eraldo Coil,' Aiber said, 'I'm here to discuss the terms of my contract.' Kida listened intently, and his eyes widened. After hanging up, he called an emergency meeting of the Yotsuba group. Ooi was the first to speak up. "You're saying Coil wants two million dollars American up front, and another eight million upon completion?" Kida nodded. "There's more, even if don't agree to hire him, he still wants the two million to stay silent about our operation."

Mido closed his eyes. "So he wants sush money, which means he already knows quite a bit." Hatori seemed apprehensive, then stood up saying, "I can't take this! If we keep going on like this, there's a good chance all of us will go to jail! I want out, right now!" Higuchi narrowed his eyes. "Hatori... I think you may be the one to die tomorrow." Hatori gasped, then sat back down. "You're... You're right... Sorry, I wasn't thinking. Perhaps we should pay Coil... Regardless of the cost." "Very well then," Ooi said, "If there are no objections..." There were none, even from Hatori. Ooi nodded. "Then we'll have Coil commissioned at once."

* * *

"_It was way too easy to sneak in here,"_ Wedy said over the monitor, _"I was hoping for a challenge. Seems they trusted their security to a single contractor. Even the room Matsuda found was easy to sneak into and plant cameras, not to mention they don't even have wiretap detectors."_ It had been a week since Matsuda had learned about the secret meetings of the Yotsuba group, and now things were running almost like clockwork. L nodded as he took a bite of his cake. "You shouldn't be so surprised. If Matsuda was able to sneak in, pretty much anyone could. What's important is that we can now listen in on everything they're doing." They took a look at the group. Light turned his eyes to each of them. "Hey, wait a second. I thought there were eight people here. I only see seven." The team looked, and sure enough only seven people were seated. Of the group members, only Hatori was missing.

Next chapter: Makeshift

"When the same name is written on more than two Death Notes, the Note which was first filled in will take effect, regard less of the time of death."

**Fun chapter, huh? Read and review.**


	20. Chapter 20: Makeshift

******This may be a short chapter. Call it an intermission before the real action. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"If written the same name on more than two Death Notes within a zero-point-zero-six second difference, it is regarded as simultaneous; the Death Note will not take effect and the individual written will not die."

Chapter 20: Makeshift

The III listened in as the Yotsuba Group began it's meeting. Ooi started off the meeting. _"So, on to business. We need to discuss who we should kill first. But before that, let's talk about the unfortunate death of Hatori."_ Chie frowned. "I don't believe it. They aren't even using code words or anything. They're just talking about killing like it's another day at the office." _"I believe what has happened to Hatori should be taken as a warning,"_ Namikawa said, _"We now know what will happen if we try to back out."_ Higuchi nodded. _"Kira wants to make sure we're all totally committed to these meetings. I think I speak for all of us when I say we should take this lesson to heart."_

Ooi nodded. _"Next we have the situation with Coil. He's sent us a report regarding what's he's found so far."_ "You gotta be kidding," Yu said, "They brush off the death of one of their own. There's being professional, and then there's just being callous." The Group looked over the notes Aiber had faxed them and frowned. _"What is this?," _Higuchi asked, _"We payed Coil five million dollars for this? He hasn't even found L's real name, let alone his face."_ Shimura nodded. _"Yes, but there is a footnote at the bottom. He's telling us not take L's existence lightly, and that if our killings are concentrated on the weekends then it's only a matter of time before L picks up on it."_

Adachi grinned. "Too late for that." _"If Coil has figured this out,"_ Mido said, _"Then there is a good chance L will figure it out. Perhaps it would be best to spread out our killings a little more. Once L had been dealt with we can continue to kill at our usual pace."_ Ooi nodded and put down the papers. _"Very well then. Now, on to the real discussion at hand. Who should we kill?"_ The others nodded. Mido picked another stack of papers. _"Perhaps we should focus on ELF Insurance. If they expand into Japan, it will not only adversely affect Yotsuba, but other similar companies as well. We can have them die from various accidental deaths."_

Ooi nodded. _"We can also target Sontaro Zensai of the Kubisawa Group. He's known to have high blood pressure so we can arrange to have him die of a stroke. So then, any objections to killing these individuals."_ There were none. "What is all this?," Kisuke said in shock, "Deaths by accident... By disease... They're even talking about fixed times of death." Soichiro nodded. "With the footage we have it's very likely we can arrest all seven of them." "No Dad," Light said, "As much as this sickens me, I'm afraid it's just not realistic from a logistical standpoint." L was busy eating a chocolate sundae. "Light's absolutely right. Besides, unless these individuals actually die this footage alone will not be sufficient. We'll need more concrete evidence."

Yu nodded. "Oh course at the same time, we also can't just stand by and let those people die. We should at least try to postpone these killings at least." "I suppose you're right," L said, "We'll have Light pose as me and contact one the seven. The odds of that person being Kira would at most be two to seven, which to be honest is rather good." Chie considered it. "We need someone who is the least likeliest to be Kira, but at the same time holds the most influence. Ooi seems to be the head of the meetings, but he's just the mic that Kira is speaking through. Out of the other six, Mido, Higuchi, and Takahashi may the most likely to be Kira, so they're out. So out of the remaining three... I'd say Namikawa is out best bet." L nodded. "Yes, I think you're right Chie. Light, use this phone next to me to call Namikawa. It's set up so it can't be traced or tapped." Light nodded.

* * *

Namikawa got a call on his cell from an undisplayed number. He picked it up and answered. "Yes?" Light spoke over a voice filter. '**You are Reiji Namikawa, the Vice President of Sales at Yotsuba Corporation, correct?**' "Yes that's right," Namikawa said, "And who am I speaking to?" '**Don't draw any attention to yourself. I am L.**' Namikawa's eyes widened, but he quickly recovered. However, his reaction did not go unnoticed by Shimura. '**Right now, I am monitoring your meeting. The first thing you discussed was the death of Arayoshi Hatori, and now you are considering killing the heads of ELF Insurance as well as Sontaro Zensai of Kubisawa. Am I wrong?**'

Namikawa remained calm, but inside he was sweating. _'He does know about the meetings, and he's watching us even now!'_ '**At this point in time I don't believe you are Kira. And if that's the case, I would like to make a deal with you. If you can, I would like you to have the deaths you have discussed postponed for as long as possible. I'm sure someone in your position could do that. If you do, you and the other Yotsuba Group members, with the exception of Kira, will be pardoned. Otherwise I will have no choice but to arrest all seven of you.**' Namikawa considered it. _'I should side with L. It's really the only choice, but if I do that I could end up like Hatori.'_

'**Right now my only goal is to go one-on-one with Kira, and I'd prefer to avoid collateral damage. If I win, you and the remaining six group members will not be arrested. If Kira wins, you can simply go about your killings as usual. Either way you stand to gain. For now I'd recommend you play both sides. I'll be watching.**' Namikawa closed his eyes. _'He knew my decision before I even said it.'_ "Very well, I'll see you on Monday." He hung up. Ooi looked over to him. "Who was that just now?" "One of my people screwed up," Namikawa said, "I'll have to fix it on Monday. Anyway, regarding our decision to kill these individuals. I'm thinking we should first give Coil one month to find L and then go ahead and kill our targets at different times throughout the week. We'll then give him another month and continue from there. Our top priority for now should be the elimination of L. Once we have him out of the way, we can go back to killing at our usual pace." The others agreed.

* * *

Light hung up the phone. "That was very well done Light," L said, "I don't think I could have come up with a better plan myself. It makes me think that, if something should happen to me, you'd be the perfect individual to take my place." He looked toward Kisuke, who simply shrugged. "I know you're expecting me to object to this and say that I should be the new L," Kisuke said, "But I won't, for two reasons. One, I'm sure you proposed this as a means to gauge my reactions and gain more insight as to whether or not I'm Kira. But it won't work, because I'm not Kira so that wouldn't matter to me. Second, it wouldn't be the first time that Light has been better than me at something. I wouldn't feel upset if this were any different, whether I were Kira or not."

L nodded. "I thought you might say something like that. You're right, you're not Kira so it doesn't matter. However, I was serious about Light taking my place as L." "But he can't," Rise said, grabbing Light's arm, "If he did, there would be so many people looking to kill him. I could never live in a world without Light." "Yes that would be dark...," L joked, "However, your devotion to Light has given me a good idea Rise." He headed up to Misa's room, dragging Kisuke along with him. When Misa saw Kisuke, she cried out, "Kisuke! You came to see me! Oh... Ryuzaki's here too... I should have known." L walked over to her. "Misa, it would be fair to say that you love Kisuke and would do anything for him, correct?" "Of course," Misa replied.

L nodded. "But at the same time you admire Kira. You've made it clear many times that you support him because he punished the man who killed your parents. So I wonder, who would you choose, Kisuke or Kira?" Misa giggled and walked over to Kisuke. "I think that should be obvious, I'll choose Kisuke every time. I may be grateful to Kira and want to meet him someday, but that's admiration, not love." L put a hand to his chin. "Yes, I should have known. It's clear that your love for Kisuke is boundless and you will anything to make him happy." Misa suddenly turned sad. "You really think that? Oh no, I'm afraid I misjudged you. I even called you a pervert, but it seems you really do understand how I feel."

L nodded. "Having said that, there is one thing I should mention. Kisuke, as you know, is helping me investigate Kira. He's even said he wants to catch Kira to clear his own name. So knowing that, what do you plan to do?" Misa thought. "Well, if Kisuke wants to catch Kira, then I do to." Kisuke looked at L. "Were are you going with all this?" "It's simple," L said, "Thanks to Matsuda's blunder, Yotsuba is now considering Misa for their advertising campaign. I plan to make use of this to gain some more insight into who, if any, of the seven members of the Yotsuba Group is Kira. Aiber, posing as Eraldo Coil, will reveal to them that Misa was at one point suspected of being the Second Kira, at one point even being detained for a period of almost two months. They'll think that Misa will be the perfect connection to finding L."

Kisuke frowned. "So you plan on having Misa gain their trust so we can find more information on them? No way, that's too dangerous. As Misa's boyfriend, I could never put her at such risk." Misa's eyes beamed. "Oh, Kisuke... It's so sweet that you're worried about me. But don't worry, even if they catch me, I won't tell them anything about Ryuzaki, even if they torture me." "I can attest to that," L joked. Misa looked Kisuke in the eye. "Please Kisuke. I want to be useful to you. I know that if something happens to L, that mean you die too. So I want to do this for your sake." Kisuke sighed. Smiling at, he placed his hands on her shoulders. "All right, if it's so important to you, I'll let you do it. But if I think for even a second that things are getting too dangerous, I'm having you pulled out of there." Misa nodded and embraced Kisuke. "And now it's awkward," L said as he scratched his head.

Next chapter: Performance

"The god of death must at least own one Death Note. That Death Note must never be lent to or written on by a human."

**I thought Misa deserved a chance at real love. So anyway, read and review.**


	21. Chapter 21: Performance

**So far I've avoided mention who among the Yotsuba Group is Kira right now. But you'll find out in this chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"Exchanging and writing on the Death Note between the gods of death is no problem."

Chapter 21: Performance

"I thought we were planning to meet every other week," Ooi said. The Yotsuba group had gathered again in an emergency meeting. "We did," Mido said, "But it can't be helped. We've received a report from Coil. It appears he has something of interest." Ooi looked at the papers. "I see. So Misa Amane was at one point questioned by L in regards to her being the Second Kira." Higuchi shifted his eyes when he heard this. "Are you serious? If that's the case, perhaps she may know who L is." Kida nodded. "Yotsuba is already considering her for its next ad campaign, so all we have to do is use the opportunity to question her." Ooi frowned. "I don't like it. I thought we were paying Coil to do the investigating, not have us investigate ourselves." "I'll talk with him," Kida said, "Perhaps we can come to an arrangement."

* * *

The Yotsuba Group member who was Kira sat at his desk writing more names in the Death Note. "Those meetings drag on too long," he said, "And then I have to come home and punish more criminals. Being Kira sure is time-consuming, but it'll be worth it in the end. I was a little interested to learn about Misa being suspected of being the Second Kira. If she was released, it can only be because she gave up ownership of her Death Note and forgot everything about it." He wrote down the last name on the screen and closed the Death Note. "I can't let things stand as they are. I think I'll make Misa my wife."

He chuckled to himself. "Everything I've ever wanted is within my grasp. And once I've married Misa, I'll invest a large lump-sum in her life insurance." He walked off as Rem looked after him. "Rem, be sure to hide the Death Note in the usual place." Once he was gone, Rem thought to herself, _**'Misa would never marry such a disgusting man. Memories or no memories, I know Kisuke would want me to do whatever it takes to stop this man's wicked schemes.' **_She opened the Death Note and carefully tore out a small scrap from one of the pages. _**'It won't be enough to restore Misa's memories, but it will let her see me. I can explain everything to her after that. This is all I can do for now, but I know that Kisuke has a plan in motion, being carried out without even his knowledge.'**_

* * *

"They're suggesting that Coil assist in their interrogation of Misa," Aiber said, "It's just as you thought it would happen." L nodded. "Very good. I suspected they'd want Coil to actually participate in the investigation of me. Now we can move on to our next part." They set up a mock meeting room where they would rehearse what Misa would say when questioned by the Yotsuba Group. Aiber sat in the middle, and Light, Yu, Yosuke, Kanji, Teddie, Adachi, and Dojima played the Group members. Aiber began his line from the time. "Is it true that you were at one point questioned by L?" "WHAT?!," Misa yelled out, earning her a bonk on the head from L's boom cone. Rise sighed. "You're overacting again. You need to be more natural. If you did that sort of thing in front of the real Yotsuba Group, at best you could be turned down and at worst you and Aiber could be killed." Rise frowned. "Okay..."

* * *

A few days later, Misa was driven to the Yotsuba Corporation by Mogi. Mogi was pretending to be Misa's new manager under the alias Kanichi Moji, and was supposed to pretend to be a rather energetic individual. He did a good job, but still felt he didn't really fit the role. Soon enough Misa was sitting in front of the Yotsuba Group, with Aiber in the middle. "Greetings Misa," Aiber said, "I don't believe we've met. My name is Johnathan Wallace, I'm the head of Yotsuba's public relations department. Regarding having you represent us in our next ad campaign, we've pretty much already been decided to agree to this. However, before we do, we a few questions to ask you." Misa nodded, pretending to be a little nervous. "Okay..."

"First off," Aiber said, "I understand that your parents were killed by a burglar during a robbery in front of your eyes. So tell, me is it true that you admire Kira and moved to Tokyo just to meet him?" Ooi seemed surprised. _'I had no idea Coil had investigated that far.'_ Misa seemed to shrink back in her chair. "Uh... How did... You know that?" Aiber smiled. "Forgive us for prying, but standard procedure for all potential employees, even the temporary ones, is to run a background check. Anyway from your expression, I'd say the answer to my question is yes." Misa nodded. "I see," Aiber said, "I also understand that at one point you were detained by the detective known as L on grounds of being the Second Kira. Is that true?"

Misa pretended to be nervous. "It is... But of course I'm not the Second Kira. I was released because L eventually realized this." "I see," Aiber said, "Did you happen to get a good look at L's face or hear his real voice?" Misa shook her head. "No... I was blind-folded the whole time, and he spoke only through a speaker and voice-filter." Higuchi grumbled and leaned back in his chair. "This is ridiculous. Are we conducting an job interview or a police interrogation?" He got up. "'Scuse me, I have to use the bathroom." Misa watched him walk out. "Um... Could I use the bathroom too, please?" "Sure," Aiber said. Misa thanked him and walked to where the ladies' room was.

* * *

Meanwhile, Kisuke was looking through list of criminals who had died since his detainment. _'I thought there was something funny. The Kira from before I was detained and the one that surfaced after are two completely different people. This new Kira is ruthless, killing criminals the second they're broadcast on the news. But the original Kira took the time to look over each criminal first, and stayed his hand against those that never meant to kill, those that had pled guilty or were otherwise truly sorry for their crimes, or those whose actions had excusable circumstances such as self-defense. This is exactly how I would act if I were Kira. But what am I thinking about? I'm not Kira, and that's that. I should stop thinking like this.'_

* * *

Misa splashed some water on her face while in the rest room. "Man, that sure was exhausting. Well, I should be used to it by now." As Misa talked, Rem walked up behind her and tagged her the scrap of the Death Note she had taken. When Misa suddenly saw Rem behind her, she nearly screamed. Thinking quickly, Rem put her hand over Misa's mouth. **"Misa, please listen to me. Right now you are terrible danger. The members of the Yotsuba Group are not to be trusted. Can you tell me what Kisuke is doing right now?" **Wondering how Rem could know about Kisuke, Misa tapped Rem's hand. Understanding, Rem let go of her. Misa dropped to her knees and pulled herself back. "Just who are you? It's pretty clear you're not a stalker, but you don't look human either. And how do you know who I am?"

Rem nodded. **"It's true I'm not a human. I am a shinigami. As for how I know you, I will start by saying that Kisuke Kitamura, the man you love, is Kira. You see, he used the power given to him ****by a shinigami to punish the criminals of the world. You too once had this power, in fact your power was even greater. You used your power to discover that Kisuke was Kira and quickly fell in love with him." **Misa was confused. "Wait, what are you saying? Kisuke is Kira? And, am I the Second Kira? But how come I have no memory of this?" Rem leaned down to the level of Misa's face. **"When you were placed in danger, Kisuke came up with a plan by which you would both lose your powers and the memories of those powers. He did it to save you. But the Kira who now possesses that power is a truly evil man, and I fear he means to do you great harm."**

Misa finally picked herself up. "I see. So what should I do?" Rem looked at her. **"For now you should trust Kisuke and continue to follow him. I know your love for him is true and I believe he also has great love for you as well."** Misa smiled. "Wow! You really do know me! Okay, I guess Kisuke has some sort of plan to stop this new Kira. It would help if I could tell him who Kira is." Rem smiled. **"I believe I can help you with that. Now that you can see me, I can direct to who Kira currently is. You must return to the interview and act like nothing is amiss. When you return, I will be in the room. The person you will see in front of me is Kira."**

"Okay," Misa said, "Thank you shinigami." Rem nodded. **"It's Rem."** Misa smiled. "Rem. That name does sound familiar." She waited until Rem left, then returned to the interview room. "Sorry I'm late," she said as she sat down, "I was busy fixing my makeup." She cautiously swept her eyes across the room until she spotted Rem. '_Okay, there she is, just like she said. And the person in front her is... No way!'_ The man in front of Rem, as it turned out, was Higuchi. _'Higuchi?!,'_ Misa thought, _'He's Kira now? That bastard! I know him. He's that pervert from the party. Okay, now I know who Kira is. All I need to do is find some sort of proof, and then Kisuke can help catch him and get rid of him for good.'_

* * *

Back at III headquarters, the task force was waiting for Misa and Mogi to return. Soon enough they came through the door. "Man," Misa said as she sat in Kisuke's lap, "That was a hard day." She didn't mention seeing Rem, or knowing about Higuchi being Kira. She still didn't have the proof she needed, and there was no way L would believe a story about a shinigami. L looked over to her. "So, how did it go." "The Yotsuba Group agreed to hire Misa for their next ad campaign," Mogi said. Misa giggled. "Naturally I made sure to give them my cell phone number. Would you believe three of them have already called me for private dates?" Matsuda became surprised. "What? No way!"

Misa smiled. "So now I just have contact these people and see what I can get from them, right?" "No," Kisuke said, "It's too dangerous. You can still appear in their commercials with Mogi nearby as your bodyguard. But for now you just play the part of celebrity." Misa nodded, a little said. "Okay, if that's what you want Kisuke." She walked off. _'It's really sweet of you to be looking out for me, but I've already got a great plan in mind. I promise I'll be useful to you.'_ She reached the elevator and said, "So Kisuke, wanna come up and sleep with me?" Kisuke became flustered, causing Misa to giggle. "Just kidding. You're saving that for when we catch Kira, right? You don't have to be shy about it?" Kisuke sighed. "Well, I may have been considering it..."

* * *

Misa had finished her first commercial for Yotsuba. She made sure to do it right the first time because of what she was planning. "Great job Misa-Misa!," Mogi called out. Misa walked up to him. "Thanks Mocchi." Mocchi was the nickname she had given Mogi. She nodded her head to the nearby hospital. "Can you escort me to the bathroom in there?" Mogi nodded. "Sure thing!" Misa slipped inside the bathroom with no one noticing, wearing a large red jacket with baseball cap and sunglasses. Knocking on one of the stalls in the ladies' room. Rise soon opened the door wearing a nurses outfit. "I'm not sure what Light will think if he finds out about this," Rise said, "It's not like me to go along with these plans of yours."

"I know," Misa said, "But the sooner we catch Kira, the sooner we can go back to our normal lives. Don't worry, I have a pretty good idea who Kira is, and I have a great plan to get some proof." Misa and Rise switched outfits, wearing wigs to make sure they didn't get noticed. Misa snuck out with Mogi not noticing her and headed to the front entrance to the hospital. Soon enough, Higuchi pulled up in a bright red American sports car. "Hey there," he said, "Love the nurse's outfit." Misa giggled. "I thought you might." Meanwhile, Rise stepped out and approached Mogi. Even with her blonde wig, Mogi quickly realized who it was. Rise frowned. "Please don't tell Light about this..." Mogi nodded, dumbstruck.

* * *

As Higuchi drove down the highway, he asked, "So, you wanna grab a bite to eat somewhere?" Misa smirked. "You trying to take me somewhere private where you can do pervy things to me? Well, it doesn't matter if that's the case, since I can kill people..." She looked in the side-view mirror to see Rem was in the car with them. Rem taken aback by Misa's statement. _**'Misa, was this part of Kisuke's plan, or is it you're way of telling me to kill Higuchi should he try anything?'**_ Higuchi, not knowing Misa could see Rem, chuckled. "Come on now, you don't have to say that sort of thing to feel safe around me. I assure you I'm quite the gentlemen."

Misa smiled. "Oh, I'm not lying. You see, I happen to be the Second Kira." Higuchi narrowed his eyes. _'Hold on here. I thought all her memories of that were gone. Did she someone manage to convince L she wasn't the Second Kira without giving up her Death Note? Whatever, if she's telling the truth, then judging by the incident at Sakura TV several months ago, she has the shinigami eyes. I have to keep her close.'_ He laughed out loud. "You're the Second Kira? I've heard of girls making up crazy stories to impress their dates, but this... I don't suppose you'd be willing to prove it somehow?" Misa smiled. _'Hook, line, and sinker. Now I just have to hope Rem understands my plan.'_

"Well," she said to Higuchi, "I might. However, I could only do that in front of Kira. After all, I came to Tokyo specifically to meet him." Higuchi grinned. "Well, that's very interesting. Specially for me, since I happen to be Kira." "Oh really?," Misa said, "Well if that's the case, maybe you'd like to prove it by killing someone for me." Higuchi cleared his throat nervously. _'Jeez, I'm starting to think leaving the Death Note at my home was a bad idea.'_ He looked at Misa. "Well, unfortunately, I can't actually kill anyone until I get home, but I'll tell you what. How about you first prove to me that you're the Second Kira, then I'll think of some other way to prove I'm Kira?"

"Fine," Misa said, "But you should know I only kill bad people." Higuchi nodded. "Yeah, I remember that." He pulled to the side of the road. He then got out his laptop from his briefcase and started looking up potential victims. _'Let's see. I need someone I can contact easily, and who conducts business in a sleazy manner.'_ He finally came up with someone and showed Misa the picture. He was a bald, middle-aged man who appeared to have some Chinese blood. "This man is Ginzo Kaneboshi," Higuchi said, "He's the head of a major financial company whose been known to use some under-handed tactics to collect, including making people pay with their insurance money."

Misa closed her eyes. "Can you readily confirm his death?" Higuchi nodded. "Sure, as soon as I call him." Misa smiled. "Okay then, but I'll have to ask you to turn around first." Higuchi did so, then Misa took out a pen and ordinary paper and started writing Ginzo's name. Rem, realizing Misa wanted her to kill Ginzo so Higuchi would believe Misa's story, wrote Ginzo's name in her Death Note, showing Misa via the passenger side-view mirror when she was done. This was the real reason Misa had wanted Higuchi to turn around, so he wouldn't see Rem write the name. Misa waited a minute, then said, "Okay, he should be dead by now." Higuchi turned back around and dialed Ginzo's number. "It's Higuchi..." 'Sorry!,' came one of Ginzo's assistants, 'We can't talk right now! Mr. Kaneboshi has just collapsed and has stopped breathing!' He hung up.

Higuchi's eyes widened. Thinking that Misa was the one who killed him, he turned to look at her. Misa had a tell-tale smiled on her face. "Told you." Higuchi pinned her to the back of the car, a wide grin on his face. Misa became rather nervous. "Hey, easy there, you're going a little fast. Don't forget, you still have to prove to me that you're Kira." Higuchi calmed down and got off Misa. "You're right. Sorry about that, I got a little excited. First off, would you be willing to marry the person who happens to be Kira?" "I guess," Misa said, "I know Kira's going to need my support for his mission." Higuchi started driving again. "So, how can I prove to you that's I'm Kira?"

Misa thought for a second. "Well, how about you stop killing criminals for a while? Then at a certain point, I'll give you permission to start again. If the times and dates add up, I'll believe you." Higuchi smiled. _'I see, she really does remember.'_ He didn't notice that Misa had turned on her cell phone to record Higuchi's next words. "Alright then," Higuchi said, "I'll stop killing criminals for a few days to prove to you that I'm Kira. And when that happens, we can get married." Misa smiled, knowing that Higuchi had landed right in her trap. He dropped her off back at the hospital and drove away. As he left, Rem looked back at Misa. _**'I know you had planned to record Higuchi's words without him knowing. Fear not Misa, he will not learn of this from me.'**_

* * *

Misa returned to III headquarters and played back Higuchi's last statement to her. "And so, based on this, Higuchi is Kira!" _'I knew it,'_ Light thought, _'That was pretty crafty on her part. But she couldn't have pulled this off without some help from a god of death.'_ "That's amazing Misa-Misa!," Matsuda said, "Now we not only know who Kira is, but all the deaths will stop as well." Misa smiled and gave a peace sign. L had a surprised look on his face. "Looks like she's done all the work for us," Labrys said, "Pretty impressive, but then again, she is smarter than she looks." L nodded. "Though to be honest, it's kind of upsetting. She's managed to do in two days what may have taken us weeks to accomplish. Still, it's nice to finally have a definitive suspect."

Next chapter: Guidance

"If the god of death decides to use the Death Note to kill the assassin of an individual he favors, the individual's life will be extended, but the god of death will die."

**My absolute favorite chapters are coming up, so read and review.**


	22. Chapter 22: Guidance

******Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"The dead god of death will disappear, but the Death Note will remain. The ownership of this Death Note is usually carried over to the next god of death that touches it, but it is common sense that it is returned to the Great god of death."

Chapter 22: Guidance

L started dropping sugar cubes into his coffee, a smiled on his face. Almost as if by magic, Misa had managed to deduce Kira's identity seemingly overnight. As he sipped his coffee, he thought to himself, _'If the killings stop now, there's no doubt that Higuchi is Kira. I'm actually a little surprised, I didn't know Misa would go this far for Kisuke's sake. However, this will prevent us from finding a key detail in our investigation... How Kira kills his victims.'_ Kisuke was still dumbstruck. "Misa... Just how did you manage to pull this off?" Misa smiled. "Easy, that creep Higuchi is totally in love with me. All I had to do was convince that I'm the Second Kira and he wouldn't shut up." "That was a little rash even for you," Rise said, "But it looks like it worked out okay."

L nodded. "Well, it's good that we now have Kira's identity. However, we're still missing one important detail. We still need to find Kira's killing method. And to do that, we need some sort of plan. Now, before I go into detail, let me pose a hypothetical scenario." He turned around in his chair. "I hate to keep coming back to this, but let's say that Kisuke was once Kira, and Misa was once the Second Kira. If that was the case, it's very likely that you two were able to transfer your powers somehow to another individual just by willing it, with the unfortunate side-effect being that you lost all memory of having these powers. If that's the case, there's a good chance that if we move to apprehend Higuchi, the same thing will just happen all over again and we'll be forced to move on to yet another Kira."

Kisuke understood. "I see. I may not like that scenario, but I understand where you're going with this. We need to create a situation where Higuchi will be unable to transfer his powers and break the cycle." L nodded. "That's it exactly. And I think I know just how to do that. But first..." He contacted Wedy. "Wedy were you able to finish planting all the surveillance equipment?" _"Just about," _Wedy said, _"We can now monitor seventy percent of the Group's movement from within the building. As for their houses, I was only able to infiltrate the homes of five of the eight members."_ L nodded. "What about Higuchi's house?" _"That one was the most difficult,"_ Wedy said, _"Took me two whole days. Seems Higuchi built a dampening room that shuts off all electronics."_

"Very well," L said, "I need you to install cameras, wiretaps, and tracking devices, but only in Higuchi's cars. For the record he has six of them." _"Okay," _Wedy replied, _"That should be a little easier."_ "Now that we have that established," L said, "Here's my plan. We'll use Sakura TV's weekly Kira special and book a three-hour time slot, stating that someone has found out about the Yotsuba Group and Kira. Throughout the broadcast we'll continue to mention that Kira's identity will be revealed at the end of the show." "Sounds good on the surface," Kanji said, "And since most people see Sakura TV as a tabloid show only Kira would feel threatened. But how do we know Higuchi even watches that channel?"

"We don't," Light said, "But that won't be a problem. We can simply have Namikawa call Higuchi and tell him, 'This is bad, turn on Sakura TV.' That should be enough to get him watching." L started poking the pastries that Watari had brought in. "Now we only need someone to appear on the show and say that they know who Kira is and that they have been investigating him." "I get it," Matsuda said, "We'll use Aiber right? He'll say that he was a spy all along!" L picked up one of the pastries and placed it in his mouth. "That's incorrect, we won't be using Aiber. The person who appears must be someone Higuchi thinks he can kill, which means it must be someone whose name he can look up easily."

Everyone in the room suddenly turned towards Matsuda. "I guess it has to be you," Yu said, "You're the only one that would get Higuchi's attention. It would make sense that Misa's former manager Taro Matsui was the one revealing Kira's identity. We can have you appear on screen using a voice filter and frosted glass. The silhouette alone should be enough to make Higuchi recognize you, and just to be safe we'll have the studio 'mess up' and reveal your identity on camera." Light nodded. "Once Higuchi thinks he knows who you are, he'll feel cornered and start to panic. We can anticipate his movements from there."

"There is one potential problem with this," L said, "If Higuchi has the powers of the Second Kira... Then Matsuda will die." Matsuda became shocked. "Don't worry," Kisuke said, "Just the fact that you're still alive right now, plus the fact that Higuchi is pursuing Misa, makes the odds of that unlikely at best." L nodded. "Well, we won't actually put this plan into motion until we can confirm that criminals have stopped dying. We'll give you two or three days to decide." "That won't be necessary," Matsuda said, a look of determination on his face, "I want to do this." Light smiled. "So, feel better Ryuzaki?" "Yes I do," L said, "Things are coming together nicely. I feel I've regained that spark that helps me to solve cases with such precision."

* * *

Namikawa arrived at Mido's estate. In the sitting room were Mido himself as well as Shimura. There were three glasses of brandy on the table, each with a large chunk of ice in them. "Well, I'm here," Namikawa said as he took of his jacket, "So what's this meeting about?" Shimura looked over to Namikawa. "Tell me, who do you think is Kira?" Namikawa chuckled. "That's a funny thing to say, Shimura. For all I know you could be Kira." "No," Mido said, "Shimura can't possibly be Kira. He was the one who came crying to me telling me he was fed up with Kira's crimes." Namikawa smiled as he adjusted his tie. "Really? But if Mido were Kira you would be dead." Shimura shook his head.

"No, I doubt that's the case. You and Mido would have been successful on you're own. There's no way you would have had to hold those stupid meetings, let alone with seven other people. The rest of us are only there because we're afraid of what Kira might to do us. After all, you remember what happened to Hatori after he spoke out. However, it's only a matter of time before the public catches on. This won't stop until that happens." Namikawa nodded. "I see. Well in that case, who do you think is Kira?" Shimura thought for a moment. "If I had to make an educated guess, I'd say it was either Takahashi or Higuchi." Mido held up his glass. "No, I doubt it's Takahashi. He's just a decoy. Kira would want to make sure there were people in the Group less clever than him."

Namikawa chuckled. "I guess we know then. It has to be Higuchi. He's always been the one most obsessed with money and power, regardless of how he acts. Not to mention he can't use his people very well. By the way, was I the only one you invited?" Mido shook his head. "I had also invited Ooi, but he just told me to conduct my secret meetings by myself." "That's Ooi for you," Namikawa said, "Always the blunt one. Even from the beginning I never thought he was Kira. We can also rule out Kida since he was the one who set aside the funding to pay Eraldo Coil. And needless to say, with Hatori dead there's no way it could be him." Shimura nodded. "By the way, at that meeting a few weeks ago, who was that you were talking to on the phone?"

Namikawa smirked. "You are a sharp one. Kira probably picked you because he appreciates your caution." As he considered telling him, his cell phone rang. Seeing the number could not be displayed, Namikawa answered it. 'Are you alone?,' came Light's voice, again pretending to be L. "No," Namikawa said, "But there's no need for me to pretend that everything's normal right now." Shimura looked at him. "Who is it?" Namikawa held the phone away from his ear. "It's L. He was the one who called me at the meeting." He put the phone back to his ear. "L, I'm here with Mido and Shimura, and I have every reason to believe that neither of them is Kira. They've agreed, as I have, to sit back and watch your war with Kira." 'Very well,' Light said, 'Then hold the phone away from your ear so that they can here me as well.'

* * *

Back at III, Light kept talking to Namikawa. "Tonight, I plan on capturing Kira with a televised broadcast meant to make him think his identity is being revealed." 'I see,' Namikawa said, 'So it's for Higuchi, yes?' Light smiled. _'Not this time, Namikawa.'_ "Well," he said into the phone, "I never said who Kira was. I'm interested as to how you believe it could be Higuchi." 'Well, I'm impressed you didn't fall for that,' Namikawa said, 'But me, Shimura, and Mido talked it over and we're fairly certain it's Higuchi.' "Very well," Light said, "Then allow me to confirm that it is indeed Higuchi that I'm after. I plan on having Sakura TV broadcast a three-hour program at exactly seven-o-clock announcing that Kira's identity will be revealed to the world. All I need from you is to call Higuchi five minutes in and have him turn on that channel. Do that and I won't go after you or the other five members." 'Very well,' Namikawa said, 'What about Ooi, Kida, and Takahashi?' "Make sure that they don't get involved," Light said, "And stop them if they try anything."

* * *

Later that night, Higuchi was celebrating his new-found success with a glass of wine. "Everything going just as I want it. And once I marry Misa Amane, I'll have access to her shinigami eyes. With that power at my disposal, Yotsuba will fall under my control." Higuchi laughed almost manically, when suddenly his cell phone rang. "Yes?" 'Higuchi, we have a problem,' came Namikawa's voice, 'Turn on Sakura TV.' Curious, Higuchi picked up the remote and turned on his TV. On the screen were two people behind frosted glass. _"So you're saying one of those people is Kira," _one of them said. The person on the left nodded. _"__**Yes, and I have a lot of evidence to prove it.**__"_

Higuchi couldn't believe his ears. "What is this? No one's gonna believe this, it's Sakura TV." 'No there's more to it,' Namikawa said, 'Earlier he said that he had listened in a meeting with eight men.' Higuchi's eyes widened. _'Someone who knows about the meetings? One of the others? Or maybe it's Coil? No wait... The others would never do something like this, there's no benefit. But, there shouldn't be anyone else who knows about the meetings, right?'_ The person continued. _"__**Then one of them tried to back out, and was killed by Kira. The man who died was Mr. H.**__"_ _'Mr. H?,'_ Higuchi thought, _'Could he mean Hatori? Just who is this person?'_

Just then the frosted glass fell, revealing Matsuda's face. Higuchi gasped. "It's... It's him! Taro Matsui! But, how is he still alive?!" 'You remember that party from a few weeks ago?,' Namikawa said, 'It turns out he faked his own death and dropped to a balcony a few stories below us. He's apparently been investigating since then.' _'That can't be,'_ Higuchi said, _'Just to be safe I came home and wrote his name in the Death Note exactly as it's written on his business card. But wait... Maybe Taro Matsui isn't his real name. That's the only explanation. Could he be a former entertainer who decided to become a manager using his stage name? Regardless, I have to do something.'_

He hung up on Namikawa and called Mido next. "Hey Mido. You're watching this right now, right? Why not call your father in the House of Councilors and have him pull some strings to stop this broadcast?" 'I'm afraid I can't do that,' Mido said, 'No one believes this station, so we'd only make ourselves look suspicious. Besides, Namikawa told everyone to watch the program. We got a good look at the man's face, and we all know it's Taro Matsui. Since one of us has to be Kira, he should be dead soon, right?' Higuchi realized he was the only one who even suspected Taro Matsui was an alias. "Yeah, you're right... I should have realized that." He hung up. "This isn't good... Damn it! I have his face, I could kill him anytime if I only had his name!" He thought for a second. "Wait, that's it. I'll call Misa and have her tell me. Even if she doesn't watch Sakura TV, she's sure to have seen his real name."

* * *

Back at III, everything was set up for the big trap. Mogi, Adachi, Dojima, Aiber, Yosuke, Chie, and Yu were at Yoshida Productions. They knew soon enough Mogi would be getting a call from Higuchi, and after they played their part, Higuchi would arrive. Meanwhile, Soichiro, Naoto, Kanji, Teddie, Yukiko, and Labrys were waiting at Sakura TV in case Higuchi showed up there. L, Light, Kisuke, Misa, Watari, and Rise were waiting at headquarters, waiting for Higuchi's next move. They didn't have long to wait, and soon enough Misa's cell started ringing. "There he is," Misa said, and she quickly turned off her phone. Higuchi must have been angered, because his next call was to Mogi. 'Moji, I need to know where Misa Amane is right now.'

'Oh, Mr. Higuchi,' Mogi said, staying in character, 'I'm very sorry but Misa-Misa is taking a much needed vacation. She should be back sometime tomorrow, I can have her contact you then.' 'I'm asking where she is now,' Higuchi said, clearly impatient. 'Well,' Mogi said, 'Misa has asked for total privacy during her vacation, so no one is supposed to know where she is right now.' There were a few seconds, then Higuchi spoke up again. 'Do you know if Misa's former manager, Taro Matsui, was an entertainer or something?' 'Not sure,' Mogi said, 'I had just started this gig at the time of his death. I can patch you through to someone at the office so you can ask them. Oh, wait, I just remembered that everyone's in Okinawa. Tell you what, I'll give you the cell phone number for the studio president and you can ask him.'

"It's just like you planned it Light," Kisuke said. Light nodded. "Yeah, it's almost scary. But the way things are going, it won't be long before Higuchi is forced to take action himself." Soon enough there was a call from Higuchi to the Yoshida President. 'Hey!,' Higuchi said almost angrily, 'That former manager of Misa's, his name wasn't Matsui was it?!' Misa laughed. "He's not even trying to hide himself anymore. Stupid Higuchi." Rise nodded. "Yep, seems he's really starting to panic now." The Yoshida President was answering Higuchi. 'I think his real name was somewhere along the lines of Yamashida, but I can't think of his first name off the top of my head. I have his personnel file back at the office.'

The anger in Higuchi's voice was becoming apparent. 'Then go back there and get it.' The president scoffed. 'You're kidding right? We're on our first company vacation in two years. If you want it so bad, I'll give you the pin code for the office, and you can look it up yourself. You'll find the personnel files in the desk in the back to the left, all alphabetized. I'm pretty sure his last name was Yamashida, so you can start there.' Higuchi hung up. "Okay," L said, "Team one, prepare for phase two. Higuchi should be arriving at Yoshida Productions within half an hour. Please remember that our first task is to find out his killing method. Do not apprehend him until then."

* * *

Higuchi quickly got out his bag, and then pulled out the Death Note and a small handgun. "I have to kill him, no matter what it takes. If the Death Note fails me, I'll resort to more drastic measures." He ran out and got into his American sports car. Driving off, he didn't notice Wedy following behind him on her motorcycle. "I see Higuchi," she said to headquarters, "He's only carrying a small bag. Guy's racing like a bat out of Hell." In his car, Higuchi was frantic. _'I can't let it end here. I almost have everything I've ever wanted. I don't care what I have to do to get it.'_ He smiled and chuckled evilly, causing concern in Rem, who as usual was right there in the car with him.

Next chapter: Frenzy

"Only by touching each other's Death Note can human individuals who own the Death Note in the human world recognize the appearance or voice of each other's god of death."

**Things are going to pick up next time. Read and review.**


	23. Chapter 23: Frenzy

**This may be difficult chapter to write, but here goes nothing. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"An individual with the eye power of a god of death can tell the name and life span of other humans by looking at that person's face. By possessing the Death Note, an individual gains the ability to kill and stops being a victim. From this point, a person with the Death Note cannot see the life span of other Death Note owners, including him/herself. But, it is not really necessary for the individual to view the life span of him/herself nor other Death Note owners."

Chapter 23: Frenzy

Higuchi raced off as fast as he could. He was driving to Yoshida Productions. As he did so, he continued to listen to the Sakura TV broadcast. As he listened to Matsuda continue speaking, he thought to himself, _'Guy's pretty cocky. He probably knows I need a name and a face to kill someone. And if he knows that much...'_ "Rem," he said, "Do you think it may be possible that he could have gone to Yoshida and destroyed his own personnel file? I don't know about you, but I think it's pretty odd that the company president went ahead and gave me the pin code for the office. Then again, he probably did it so he could say he was robbed later. This could all be just a wild goose chase. Heck, for all I know, the name I find could be fake."

Rem thought to herself. _**'Perhaps Kisuke's plan is to have Higuchi go to Yoshida. I should make sure that happens.' **_She leaned over. **"That may be true, but this man has promised to reveal your name. Regardless of whether or not it's a fake, do you really want to take that chance?"** Higuchi considered it. "You're right I guess, though I should probably make sure I take care of the other people I called just in case." Realizing Higuchi might kill Misa, Rem said, **"Don't be reckless, the man on TV is the only one you have to kill. He's the only real threat to you right now. If you try to kill the others, the police can trace it you through the phone company." **"Oh right," Higuchi said, "I wasn't thinking. Guess I'm a little frazzled by all this."

* * *

Back at III, L didn't know what to make of Higuchi's statements. "There's no way there could be anyone in that car that we couldn't see. And besides the surveillance we planted, there's no radios or other equipment he could be using." Kisuke nodded. "Yeah, but he has to be talking to someone. So who could Rem be?" Misa looked nervous, and Light had a pretty good idea why. _'I'm starting to think Higuchi is using a Death Note after all. Still, until I see for myself, I'd better keep all options open.'_ L started chewing his thumb. "I wonder what made him change his mind about killing Misa and the others. If he is talking to someone in the car it may be... A shinigami..."

* * *

Higuchi arrived at Yoshida Productions. The team there stayed in hiding in the room across from the office Higuchi was about to enter. Finding the desk he wanted, Higuchi looked through the files until he found the name Toshi Yamashida. With Matsuda's photo in the file, Higuchi believed he had found the right name. Taking out the Death Note, he wrote down the name from the file and headed back for his car. As he walked out, Mogi spoke into his wireless. "Higuchi is leaving. Do we move to apprehend?" 'Negative,' L said, 'We only saw him write a name down. We still don't know how he kills. Have your team move to Sakura TV and await further orders.' "Got it," Mogi said.

* * *

At III, the team was confused. "All he did was write down a name," Kisuke said, "Does that mean that he plans to do something back in his car?" Light was standing in the back looking at his watch. He was counting the seconds since Higuchi had written the name from the file. _'Just ten seconds Higuchi, and you'll get the biggest disappointment of your life. Five... Four... Three... Two... One...' "Damn it!,"_ Higuchi yelled, _"He didn't die?! I knew that file had to have another alias!"_ "What's he talking about?," Rise said, "Does this mean he already tried to kill Matsuda? Maybe we are dealing with another supernatural weapon like the TV world." L frowned. "I really don't want to think that's the case."

* * *

Higuchi tried Misa's phone again, but it came up with a busy signal. Growling in frustration, he threw the phone across the car. "Damn it! They're going to reveal Kira's name in less than an hour. Got to think of something." Rem leaned over to him. **"Why not give up ownership of the Death Note? I would think it difficult to prove anything without your memories."** Higuchi shook his head. "No, that would only condemn me at this point. If this guy is serious, and if he should mention the sudden rise in Yotsuba's finances, then whoever he says is Kira will be marked as Kira. I couldn't get promoted, heck they wouldn't even let me stay with Yotsuba."

He rubbed his chin. _'Okay, calm down Higuchi... I have his face. If he has investigated Yotsuba chances are I can find him on the security tapes. But then I'd need the shinigami eyes... Hm, half my remaining life-span sounds like a lot, but what the heck. Once they announce Kira's name I'm dead anyway. Better a life that's short and sweet.'_ "Rem," he said, "Let's make the deal." Rem nodded. **"So be it."** She placed her hand on the back of his head, and drained half of Higuchi's remaining years while transferring her eyes to him. Higuchi grinned as he saw the world take on a reddish tint, indicating the deal had been made. _'With these eyes... I'm invincible. I have plenty of options now.'_

He tore down the highway, followed closely the team from Yoshida. Mogi, Aiber, and Adachi were in Mogi's car, while the Inaba team members were riding on motorcycles. They were soon joined by Wedy. "Nice wheels," she said to Chie. Chie nodded. "Thanks, we got these shortly after headquarters was completed." They watched as Higuchi wound up getting pulled over by a motorcycle cop. "Damn," Wedy said, "We'll have to leave pursuit to Mogi's group." "Okay," Yu said, "Then the rest of us will head for Sakura TV." Higuchi, meanwhile, had stopped when he heard the motorcycle cop's sirens. "You were speeding," the cop said, "License and registration please." "Sure," Higuchi said as he reached into his bag.

Glancing at the cop, he could barely contain his elation at being able to see his name. Writing the cop's name in his Death Note while pretending to search for his license, Higuchi raced off when he had finished. The cop quickly followed, but as he tried to call it in, he felt his heart pound against his chest. By the time he wound up crashing into a nearby truck, he was already dead. "What the hell just happened?," Aiber said when he saw the crash. "Not sure," Mogi said, "Ryuzaki, the cop who had pulled over Higuchi just rear-ended a truck. I'm afraid he's dead."

* * *

The team back at III was aghast. _'This isn't good,' _L thought, _'Higuchi's becoming more erratic than we anticipated. How did he even get that cop's name? Is it possible he has the same powers as the Second Kira and only needs someone's face? But if that were true, then why hasn't he killed Matsuda yet? Or perhaps...'_ He suddenly became very serious. "Everyone, it's too dangerous to allow further action by Higuchi. I believe he may have the same powers as the Second Kira, meaning he can kill just by looking at someone's face. Keep this in mind when confronting him." Kisuke made a quick call to his father explaining the situation and asking that he stop any further police involvement. Light couldn't help but be worried. _'Higuchi's made the deal for the shinigami eyes, I'm sure of it. He felt there was no other option. He probably thinks he's unstoppable now, but he couldn't be more wrong.'_

He contacted his father. "Dad, at the next commercial, take measure seven." 'Got it,' Soichiro said. As he and Rise ran for their bikes, L chained Misa to his chair. "Sorry about this Misa, but it is for your own protection." He and Kisuke were soon joined by Watari at the helipad. Once they were airborne, Watari started assembling a sniper rifle. Kisuke took a look at Higuchi's route. "He's not heading for Sakura TV, looks like he's going for Yotsuba first." L nodded and contacted Wedy. "You made sure to erase all the security tapes from Yotsuba correct?" 'Yes,' Wedy said, 'Why, is Higuchi heading there? That's actually convenient. It gives me and the Inaba team plenty of time to join Mr. Yagami and the others."

* * *

Higuchi was in the security room for Yotsuba, but found nothing but more frustration. _'Damn! This is the right tape but there's nothing on here. Did he come erase them himself? Or have I been betrayed? No... The others wouldn't do this, it wouldn't absolve them of their crimes. Ah, who cares. I'm outta time. I'll just have to hurry to the TV station and take care of this myself.'_ He got back to his car and drove like mad for Sakura TV, followed carefully by Mogi, Aiber, and Adachi. When Higuchi got to the station, he saw the building empty. _'No one's here. Is it in case the broadcast is real and Kira decides to retaliate? Well, no matter. That makes my job easier.'_

Meanwhile in the studio, the task force was lying in wait for Higuchi. Measure seven was to swap Matsuda and the announcer with mannequins and evacuate the building, using prerecorded tapes to make it appear the broadcast was still live. The Inaba team had readied their weapons. Yu carried a samurai katana, Light a naginata, Yosuke a pair of kunai, Chie a pair of steel slippers hidden in her shoes, Yukiko a steel fan, Kanji a folding chair, Teddie a set of fighting claws, and Naoto a handgun. Wedy finished loading her pistol and handed another one to Soichiro. "Here, you'll probably need this for self-defense." "Sorry," Soichiro said, "But civilians aren't allowed firearms, which means you shouldn't be carrying one either."

Wedy just shrugged, then put on her helmet when she heard the door open. Higuchi had just walked in, carefully looking around. _'No one in here either. Still I need to be careful of the cameras.'_ Just then an announcement was made. _"Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are no longer able to air this broadcast."_ Higuchi was confused, then his eyes widened when saw the dummies. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by the task force members. "Higuchi," Soichiro said, "You are under arrest." Higuchi clutched his bag as he gave a nervous smile. Not only could he not see the names of the names of the task force members due to their tinted helmets, he could also see the Inaba teams' Personae.

This of course included Adachi's Persona Asterion, a giant black humanoid with no lower body, who had fists made of bone and a cattle skull for a head. He was bound in an upright position by several chains. _'Damn it!,'_ Higuchi thought, _'They're wearing tinted helmets. They must be taking precautions against Kira.'_ He calmly put his hand in his bag to reach for his gun. "I'm with Yotsuba's media department. I simply came here to discuss something with Demegawa. Here, let me show my business card." As he pulled out his gun, Light yelled, "Wedy get down!" Wedy crouched as Higuchi fired at her. Not bothering to try a second shot, Higuchi booked it for the front door.

* * *

L got the message over the radio. 'Ryuzaki,' Mogi said, 'Higuchi has a gun, and he's getting away.' "Very well," L said, "It appears we have no other alternative but to apprehend Higuchi. Watari, do you have your rifle ready." Watari nodded. "Of course. I will be sure to aim to disarm, not kill." They followed Higuchi as he tore down the highway. _'What was that all about? Was that a trap?'_ As he headed down the off-ramp, he suddenly became blinded by the glare of several police cruiser lights. _'Damn, those cop cars have tinted windows! This was a trap... The police never intended to pull out of the investigation, they were planning for this.'_

He swerved to avoid colliding with the cop cars. Up above, L, Kisuke, and Watari saw the commotion. "What is this?," Watari said, "I thought we told the police not to get involved." Kisuke smiled. "This is Aizawa's work. He's the only one who would pull this off." Aizawa was indeed in the lead car, with Ide right next to him. Higuchi soon found himself surrounded again, by the cop cars, undercover units, motorcycles, and a helicopter. Trying to flee under the helicopter, Higuchi soon found his tire shot out by Watari's rifle. Slamming into the side of the off-ramp, he saw the Inaba team approach him, weapons ready. Pointing his gun to his head, Higuchi yelled out, "Stand back, or so help me..." But the next shot came from Naoto as she shot the gun out of Higuchi's hand. Kisuke sighed. "It's over."

Next chapter: Revival

"The god of death must not tell humans the names or life spans of individuals he sees. This is to avoid confusion in the human world."

**Is it over? We shall see. Read and review.**


	24. Chapter 24: Revival

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"It is prerequisite for the Death Note used in the human world that a living god of death makes sure that the humans in the human world use it."

Chapter 24: Revival

Higuchi had been defeated. Brought down by the combined effort of III, along with some unexpected help from the NPA. Soichiro spoke into his car's radio. "Ryuzaki, please let me handle the arrest." 'Very well,' L said, 'But please make sure to take all precautions. Remember this is Kira we're dealing with.' Soichiro nodded, and he and Mogi put on their helmets. As they passed by Aizawa's car, Soichiro turned to look at him. "Aizawa, do you have you something you can use to cover your face?" Aizawa nodded. "Of course, sir. I made sure of it before coming out here." Soichiro smiled. "Good, then cover me." Aizawa smiled and nodded. Stepping in front of Higuchi's car, Soichiro barked out, "Higuchi! Step out of the car slowly and put your hands in the air!"

Higuchi complied, and was quickly subdued with handcuffs and a blind-fold. Naoto brought over the head-set so L could talk to him. 'Mr. Higuchi,' L said, 'I would like to know how it is you can kill these people.' Higuchi stayed silent at first. But when Kanji slammed his folding chair in front of him in a threatening manner, Higuchi said, "All... All right. It's... The notebook. You probably won't believe this, but I have special notebook in my bag. If I write someone's name in it while thinking of their face, that person dies." Light's eyes widened. _'So... It really is a Death Note... I have to see this for myself.'_ He walked into Higuchi's car and started searching the bag. When he saw the familiar black notebook, he thought to himself, _'This is surreal. In my dream I used this to kill so many people. If it does still work as I remember...'_

He touched the cover and looked up through the windshield, and sure enough he saw Rem for the first time in reality. "Light," Soichiro said, "Did you find it?" Light nodded. "Yeah, it was in Higuchi's bag like he said. Here, but be careful by what you see." Soichiro took the Death Note and started flipping through it. "Well, it seems Higuchi had written a lot of names, but other than... That..." Soichiro had caught a glimpse of Rem. Getting a full look, he fell back as he screamed. "Dad," Light said, "Remain calm. I saw that thing too." Kanji walked over. "I don't see anything, but whatever it is can't be any more scary than the shadow monsters." He picked up the Death Note and was now able to see Rem too. "Whoa... Hey Ryuzaki, I think only people who have touched this notebook can see that creature."

L nodded. "Bring it over here. I'd like to get a look for myself." Kanji nodded and walked over to the helicopter. "Kinda weird that Light didn't freak out when he saw whatever it is," Kisuke said. "Not likely," L said, "He's probably seen worse in the TV world." He took the Death Note from Kanji and looked over to Higuchi's car. Sure enough, he could now see Rem. His eyes widened. "It really is... A shinigami... They really... Do... Exist..." The events that had occurred since he first confronted Kira played through his mind, and he came to one, inevitable, conclusion. _'Two books! There have to be two notebooks, possibly more! This isn't over yet...'_ He suddenly realized he was no longer holding the Death Note. Kisuke had grabbed it while L was thinking.

Rem had been watching the whole time. _**'What could Kisuke be planning? The second he touches the Death Note, all his memories of owning the Death Note will return in full. However...' **_The second Kisuke laid his hands on the Death Note, all of his memories since becoming Kira returned in full. The full scope of it was so overwhelming he actually screamed at the top of his lungs. When he finally calmed down, he casually started looking things up on the computer. L looked concerned. "You alright Kisuke?" Kisuke nodded. "Fine... Just a little freaked from seeing that creature. That is a shinigami, right?" "I think so...," L said. Kisuke nodded. "I thought so. If you don't mind, I'd like to cross-check the names in this notebook with the victims so far." As L turned back to view Rem, Kisuke thought to himself, _'I did it. I won. Everything went just as planned.' _He had set things in motion for this moment several months ago. His thoughts drifted back to that day.

* * *

_In the woods on the outskirts of the city, Kisuke handed Misa's Death Note to Rem. "I hereby forfeit ownership of this Death Note." Rem took the Death Note with a confused look on her face. **"Just what exactly are you planning?" **"I'm planning on saving Misa," Kisuke said, "Now then, right now ownership of that Death Note is yours. Next, I want you to hand it to Ryuk." Rem did so. Kisuke nodded. "Alright, Ryuk. Now I want you to drop the Death Note on the ground so that it's in the human world again." Once Ryuk did that, Kisuke picked it up. "And now the Death Note belongs to me again." **"Hold on," **Ryuk said, **"That didn't do much. It only got passed around in a circle."** Kisuke nodded. "I know. But there may come a time when I'll need to make use of this."_

_He held up his original Death Note. "Now Ryuk, I'm going relinquish ownership of this Death Note to you. Then you pass it to Rem." Once this was done, Kisuke said, "Rem, I want you to give this Death Note to someone with status who lusts for power. He'll use the Death Note to obtain that power. If you do that, chances are Misa will be saved. However, if I'm wrong and it looks like Misa won't be released for years, you can go ahead and kill me." Rem nodded. **"Take of her. Remember your promise."** And with that she flew off. "Now for the next part," Kisuke said, "I'll go up to L and demand to be confined. During which time I'll relinquish ownership of the Death Note to you."_

"_**Don't tell me you're giving up,"** Ryuk said. Kisuke smiled. "Hardly. Rem already knows that whoever she gives the Death Note to will still have to act as Kira while pursuing their own goals. L will be put in a position where he'll have to release me and Misa. And with my memories gone, chances are I'll want to help catch Kira. Clearing my name aside, putting criminals to justice is the sort of person I am when you get down to it." Ryuk chuckled. **"I get it. You'll wind up catching whoever Rem gives the Death Note to. Then you'll grab it before L can and regain your memories. Once you've killed whoever owns the Death Note, it'll be yours again."** "That's right," Kisuke said, "But there is one potential problem..."_

* * *

_'I need to make sure I keep hold of the Death Note until Higuchi dies,'_ Kisuke thought, _'Until I'm the owner, my memories will only remain so long as I am in contact with it. If at any point I lose hold of it before Higuchi dies, Kira could disappear forever. Luckily, I've made sure I can kill Higuchi without attracting attention.'_ He fingered the watch he had on and pulled one of the knobs four times in quick succession. A secret compartment under the clockwork popped out. Inside was a scrap of the Death Note and a needle. _'There it is. I knew I would be wearing this watch.'_ He took the needle and carefully pricked his finger. Using the blood, Kisuke quickly wrote Higuchi's name on the scrap.

As the task force led Higuchi away, Kisuke thought to himself, _'This has to be the longest forty seconds of my life. But once it's over, as long as I'm still holding the Death Note, ownership of it will transfer to me upon Higuchi's death. Then my memories won't disappear.'_ After what seemed like forever, Higuchi started to convulse. As the task force tried to snap him out of it, Higuchi's head was thrown back. Realizing what must have happened, Light checked Higuchi's pulse. "Ryuzaki, I'm afraid Higuchi is dead. Is anyone holding onto the notebook?" 'Kisuke has it right now,' L said, 'He was checking the names in the notebook against the actual victims.' Light frowned. _'Then that mean Kisuke is the new owner of the Death Note. The only question is, did he have ownership of it before Higuchi?'_

* * *

The III was sitting at their headquarters. Since Rem was now possessing Kisuke, naturally she was with them. Teddie was a little surprised to hear that Rem could see the Inaba team's Personae. _'So this whole time our Personae were keeping us safe from the eyes of the shinigami by hiding our faces. That's something even I didn't know.'_ Aizawa took a look at the rules written on the inside. "Hm... It says the human is written in this Death Note shall die. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's name in mind when writing his/her name. Therefore people sharing the same name will not be killed. If the cause of death is written within forty seconds of writing the name, it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written within the next six minutes and forty seconds."

Kanji put a hand to his chin. "It all fits with what we found so far, though it's clear that Kira had a pretty tight time-table to work with. Guess Naomi was on to something when she said that Kira can kill in ways other than a heart attack." Kisuke looked over to him. _'I didn't know someone had found that out without the Death Note. Naomi's lucky she didn't run into me, or chances are I would have had to kill her.'_ Aizawa flipped over to the back cover. "There are some more rules in the back. Two of them to be precise. One of them says that if this note is made unusable by tearing it up or burning it, then all who have touched the Death Note will die."

As everyone in the fell became shocked, Kisuke thought to himself, _'Naturally that rule is fake, but they don't know that. I had Ryuk write those rules as part of my plan. After all, it's not like he wouldn't be allowed to, though I do owe him an apple for the favor. Anyway, with that rule in place the Death Note is safe and my memories will remain.'_ Light was the only other person in the room who at least suspected the rules were fake, but didn't say anything. He knew that if Kisuke thought Light was a threat due to having so much knowledge of the Death Note, he could wind up dead. Aizawa got over his shock and cleared his throat. "Anyway, the second rule states that if the human who owns this Death Note does not continue to write names consecutively within thirteen days, the owner will die."

Matsuda became excited. "Hey! Kisuke and Misa are cleared! They were being held under surveillance for fifty days total!" L was busy stacking cream packets. "Rem, was it? The shinigami? Are there more than one of these notebooks in the human world?" Rem turned to look at him. **"Hard to say. There may be and there may not be."** L nodded. "Well, if there are more than one of these notebooks, either here or in your world, do they all work by the same rules?" **"Yes," **Rem said, **"There are many Death Notes, but they all work by the same rules. That includes the rules for when humans obtain them."** L put down the packet he had. "I see... Very well then. We will discontinue surveillance on both Kisuke and Misa."

Kisuke smiled. "Thank you. However, I don't think this case is over yet. Would it be alright if I continue to work on the investigation? Minus the handcuffs, of course." L nodded. Light narrowed his eyes. _'A notebook of death... With rules written by a shinigami... Even L has no choice but to believe it. If things keep going as they are there's a chance L could wind up dead. I have no choice but to reveal my dream to him in private.'_ His thoughts drifted back to that horrible dream. _'I was such a callous person. Both to my allies and my enemies. For all the talk I made about wanting to create a world without evil, I was only creating more. Kisuke, if you are the true Kira, then you should know that it's the same with you. It is a cursed power, this power to kill.'_

* * *

Kisuke was seeing Misa off. As he embraced her, he took a quick glance behind him. _'There are surveillance cameras here. But they won't pick up my face and mouth from this angle.'_ He whispered to Misa, "Misa, I need you to go to a very special place for me." Misa's eyes lit up. _'Oh Kisuke, you have your memories back.'_ She nodded to him. "First," Kisuke whispered, "You'll need to stop by the nearest market and pick up an apple. I realize that's a little strange, but trust me. You'll understand soon. After that, go to the woods in the park and find a tree in middle where there are no paths. I've marked it with our initials so it shouldn't take long to find. Dig into the ground beneath where the mark is and you will find a white box. Open it and take out the contents, and you will find a message telling you what to do next. Alright?" Misa nodded, smiling.

* * *

"A dream where you were Kira?," L said in shock. Light nodded. "I don't know if somehow fate has altered time, or if it was simply a warning telling me I need to change my view of the world, or if it was simply a glimpse into future events. But it influenced the program I created when I first entered the TV world, back when Izanami was still in control." L chewed his thumb. "Well, I'll admit that given your view of justice it's not impossible for you to become Kira. But at the same time I find it impossible that you could be Kira. Still, this does explain a little bit about how you were able to predict Kira's actions." Light closed his eyes. "Actually, up until now I had no way of proving that Kira was using a Death Note. This is the first time I've laid eyes on one in the real world."

"I understand," L said, "You didn't want to rely on your dream in the event it turned out to be wrong. But, you could have waited a little longer before revealing it." Light shook his head. "I'm afraid that if I wait any longer to tell you... It will already be too late. You see, in my dream, you actually wound up dead." L's eyes widened. "I see... So you're telling me this now so that we can plan a counter-measure. But, we don't know if Teddie will be able to pull off the same trick he used to save Penber." "I know," Light said, "But we do have a few days to have him learn. And if that fails, I have another plan to buy us more time." L nodded. "Do tell."

* * *

Misa found the tree Kisuke mentioned. Carved into was a valentine heart with the writing "KK+MA". "Kisuke...," Misa said dreamily, "I always knew you cared for me." She dug beneath the ground and soon found the box Kisuke mentioned. She took a look inside and found the Death Note Kisuke buried. "What's this?," Misa said. She picked up the Death Note, and gasped as her memories flooded back to her. Since no other human had claimed it, it was now her's. Smiling, she said, "I remember everything now. Kisuke... You buried this here so I could regain my memories. Thank you." She flipped through the pages and saw a small envelope fall out. Picking it up, she smiled. "It's a letter from Kisuke."

The letter read, "Dear Misa, by the time you read this your memories will have returned. You remember my friend from To-Oh University, the one who called himself Hideki Ryuga? I want you to write his name in the Death Note. Then take a few pages out and bury it again. The next time you come see me, I want you to casually touch a piece of the Death Note to my hand. Love you always, Kisuke." Misa blushed at the words "love you always". "Kisuke... Now I see. You planned this the whole time. You buried this here so I could gain ownership and use it to kill Ryuzaki. But..." She suddenly became sad. "But... I can't remember his real name anymore. I've been seeing hundreds upon hundreds of names and life-spans every day. Oh... What am I going to do?"

Just then, she saw a black shadow above her. Looking up, she saw Ryuk perched on a tree branch. **"Ah... I'm finally back in the human world." **He dropped down and was surprised by Misa wrapped her arms around his neck. "Ryuk! It's been so long, me and Kisuke missed you so much!" **"Uh...," **Ryuk said, a little flustered, **"Sorry, but..." **He turned himself intangible, causing Misa to drop to the ground. **"I'm a guy, so I can get shy sometimes..." **Misa giggled and dug into her bag. "That's okay. Oh yeah, Kisuke told me to bring you something." She brought out the apple she brought, causing Ryuk's eyes to light up. As he munched on it, Misa said, "Ryuk, before I forget, I want to make the eye deal again." **"Huh," **Ryuk said as he finished the apple, **"That's unusual. You're life-span has already been halved once. Now you want to make the deal a second time?"** Misa nodded. "See, Kisuke wants me to write someone's name in the Death Note, but I can't think of that person's name. I just know he'll be mad at me." **Fine," **Ryuk said, **"Makes no difference to me."**

* * *

Back at III, Kisuke saw Misa step into the lobby. He smiled. "I'll go and see her, guys. Be back in a few minutes." Rem watched as he left, then turned back to the monitor that showed Misa. To her surprise, she also saw Ryuk._** 'What's going on? Why is Ryuk now attached to Misa?'** _She got a closer look, and her eyes widened in horror. _**'No! Misa's life-span has been halved again! Did she go and make the eye deal with Ryuk?!' **_Her expression did not go unnoticed by Light or L. Down in the lobby, Misa and Kisuke embraced each other. As they pulled away, Misa reached into her pocket. "Kisuke," she said, "Here." She touched Kisuke with a piece of the Death Note, allowing him to see Ryuk again. "It's been a while Ryuk. Glad to see you again." Ryuk chuckled.

"Um," Misa said, "I'm sorry, Kisuke, but I couldn't remember Ryuzaki's real name." Kisuke sighed. "I thought that might be the case. Oh well, I had to try. Don't worry Misa, it's not your fault." Misa sighed in relief. "Oh, but I did make the eye deal with Ryuk so we can try again. I want to be useful to you Kisuke, with all my heart." Kisuke closed his eyes sadly. _'I'm sorry to keep gambling with your life Misa, but right now I can only see one way to defeat L once and for all.'_ He brought Misa closer to him and embraced her. "I understand, but I was hoping to live a long life with you in a new world of peace and happiness. Don't worry, we can still create that world, together." Misa saw him shed a long tear. _'Kisuke...'_

Next chapter: Silence

"It is very difficult to consider that a god of death who has possessed a human could die, but if he should die, the Death Note that he brought into the human world will not lose its power."

**Ryuk's back! Now it's a party! We're coming up to the much-anticipated time-skip, so read and review.**


	25. Chapter 25: Silence

******T********here were no rules for the Death Note in the episode this chapter is based off of, so sorry about that. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

Chapter 25: Silence

L was examining the Death Note closely. Seeing a corner of one of the pages was torn out, he asked Rem, "Tell me, if a piece of this notebook were to be torn out could it still be used to kill someone?" Rem shrugged. **"Can't say. I've never tried it myself, and to the best of my knowledge no one else has either." **"Very well," L said, "Then, do shinigami like apples?" Rem looked over to Kisuke, then said, **"Not necessarily. Our digestive organs have become degraded. We've... Evolved to the point where we no longer need sustenance."** Light narrowed his eyes. _'She's trying to reveal as little information as possible. It's making me even more suspicious of Kisuke and Misa.'_

He turned to Kisuke. "You know, you don't have to hang around here all the time. Now that you're no longer under suspicion you and Misa can have a relationship." Kisuke nodded. "Yeah, I guess. But I was planning on saving that for after all this was over. Don't get me wrong, Misa is very special to me. But I'm afraid if I get too close to her too soon, it could put her in danger." Light nodded. _'Well, I can believe you're in love with Misa. But I suspect you have a different reason for sticking around. But that's okay, I can except it for now. Just make sure to watch yourself. I'm not too bad at coming up with perfect plans myself.'_

* * *

Misa changed into a black maid's outfit. Earlier Kisuke had told her that he was in no position to continue punishing criminals, therefore it was Misa's job to do that for him. Walking into the heart of Shibuya, she observed the criminals who were being broadcast on the news. She made careful note of all their faces, using the shinigami eyes to make sure of their names. She then returned home and wrote all the names she had seen in the Death Note, only making exception based on Kisuke's rules. _'I remember the dream, but it seems things are better now. Kisuke truly loves me, no matter what. It makes want to help all the more. And once our new world is made, we can be happy together for many long years.'_

* * *

Soichiro walked into III headquarters. "I heard the report. More criminals are dying again?" Aizawa nodded. "Sixteen just yesterday, all of them broadcast after Higuchi's death." Light looked at his Dad. "Since we can be fairly certain that Higuchi was the one writing names in the notebook, that means we're now dealing with yet another Kira." L nodded. "I've already suspected that we have at least one other notebook in our world. It looks like this proves it." Rem couldn't believe her ears. **_'It has to be Misa's work.'_** Kisuke put a hand to his chin. "I was thinking, even if we do catch this new Kira could we even have them prosecuted?" "Are you crazy?," Matsuda said, "Of course we have to! This person is writing names in the notebook knowing these people will die."

Adachi nodded. "Even if can't reveal the existence of the notebook, we'd have no choice but to either lock the culprit away for good... Or execute them." Rem's eyes widened. **_'What are you thinking Kisuke? If Misa starts killing again she'll soon be caught and when that happens you...'_** She closed her eyes. **_'So that's how it is. You know that my only choice to save Misa is to kill L. But in doing that, I will be deliberately extending Misa's life, and will die. Just as Gelus died...'_** Kisuke looked back at her. _'Nothing personal Rem. But right now I can see no other way to defeat L. I doubt the rest of III will go after Misa immediately. And by the time they zero in on her, I can be in a prime position to redirect them. Hope you were going to live a long life, because I want to stay with Misa for as long as possible.'_

* * *

L and Light were standing on the roof of the III building. Light had insisted they not be out in the rain that had started to fall. L looked up at the rainclouds. "Everything's ready. If it doesn't work, I've made my peace. I've sent instructions so that they can assist you." Light nodded. "Are you sure we have to wait four years?" "I'm afraid so," L said, "Until they are of age they will not be able to join you. If I die, I can honestly say it's been good working with you Light. If not, then perhaps I will rejoin III after Kira is finally defeated." Light nodded. "While he's not quite there, Teddie has gotten good enough that our plan can still work." L's cell phone went off at that moment. L picked it up and spoke briefly with the person of the other end. "It's time," he said to Light.

The two of them headed down to the main meeting room. "Ryuzaki, what's going on here?," Matsuda said, "You're using the notebook for an execution." L crouched down in his chair. "Yes. We've made arrangements with another country." "But what's the point?," Aizawa said, "We already know the notebook works. And besides, who would write the name down? Whoever it is would have to keep writing names because of the thirteen day rule." Light looked over to him. "We've thought of that. The execution will be carried out by a death-row inmate scheduled to be executed in just over thirteen days. If he's still alive after that, he'll be pardoned from execution. See, Ryuzaki thinks there's something wrong with that particular rule."

Before he could continue, lightning struck the building, causing a blackout. Adachi looked around. "Hey, where did that shinigami go?" Just then, all the monitors in the meeting room went white and had the words "all data deleted" on them. "What's this about?," Dojima asked. "A precaution," L said, "Watari was instructed to erase all of our data if anything were to happen to him..." Light's eyes widened. _'It's Rem, it has to be. She's the only one who could have found Watari's real name.'_ L raised his head. "Everyone, the shini-" But at that moment, his eyes widened. As he fell out of his chair, Kisuke moved to catch him. "Ryuzaki? Are you okay?" L eyes began to close. After a bit, Kisuke checked his pulse. "He's... He's dead."

Getting up, Kisuke said, "We have to find the shinigami, before any more of us die. Come on." He ran to where he believed Rem had hidden herself. Sure enough, in a room filled with computer towers, Kisuke found a pile of sand and Rem's Death Note. _'Farewell Rem. Don't worry. That's the last time I will put Misa in any sort of danger.' _He opened the Death Note and found the names "Quillish Wammy" and "L Lawliet". _'So that's L's real name. Kind of a let down.'_ He tucked the Death Note under his shirt and ran out. "Hey, I found something in here." The rest of the task force ran inside and saw the sand. _'All that's left of Rem,' _Light thought, _'But then, where's her Death Note?'_ Kisuke put a hand on Light's shoulder. "It's up to us now I guess. We're the only ones who can avenge Ryuzaki." Light nodded.

* * *

A few days later, L's funeral was held. After most of the task force left, only Kisuke and Misa remained. "So," Misa said when the others were out of earshot, "Rem's gone now?" Kisuke nodded. "I'm sorry Misa. I couldn't think of any other way." He pulled her close. "I swear on my own grave that from now on you will never be in any more danger because of the Death Note. I'll make us both happy, for the rest of our days." Misa smiled and nuzzled Kisuke's chest. Kisuke looked at L's grave and saluted. "Farewell L. If I said anything truthfully to you, it's that you were a good friend. Having you killed may be the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but it was necessary to make a new world. I wish we could have kept this game going a little longer, but people I care for would have gotten hurt. Rest well, my good friend and worthy foe."

Unseen by either of them, L was sitting in a private car. "Well, at least my suspicions that Kisuke is Kira are confirmed. But I'll have to leave stopping him to others for the time being." L had managed to trick Kisuke with a clever ruse. Using the Death Note they had, L had written his own name saying he would die peacefully after twenty-eight days. That would give Teddie more time to master his new ability that let him protect those marked by the Death Note. Because L had written his name first, Rem's Death Note had no effect. In case Kisuke had planned to check L's pulse, Teddie used a different technique he had learned which had let him temporarily stop the heartbeat of others using their shadow. As L was driven off by an old contact, he thought to himself, _'Good luck, Light Yagami.'_

Next chapter: Renewal

**Oh don't be like that. I know there are tons of Death Note fans who hated seeing L die, so I came up with a solution. Anyway read and review.**


	26. Chapter 26: Renewal

**From the beginning of the chapter up til the first scene break, everything you read will be under L's narration. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

Episode 26: Renewal

My name is L Lawliet, and I am a private detective by trade. If you are reading this, I am either dead or have otherwise been rendered unable to continue my current case. What follows is record of my investigation into the serial murderer known only as Kira. To whoever reads this, please use it to continue from where I left off.

December 3rd: It was on this date that I first became aware of a number of unusual deaths. In all the cases there were two constants. The first was that all the victims were criminals, and the second that they had died from heart attacks. At the time I had first become aware of this, there were at least fifty confirmed cases. After studying the victims I came to the conclusion that these were murders being carried out by a single individual. I also determined that this serial killer was early in his career, and that he was at least operating within Japan. After taking a look at the case as a whole, it soon became apparent that this would be one case even I could not solve on my own.

December 4th: I made arrangements with my associate and legal guardian Quillish Wammy, known to the world as Watari, to speak with the ICPO in regards to these murders. In addition, I contacted my old friend Naoto Shirogane to gain the assistance of Inaba's Investigation Team. My first task was to make sure that none of the people I was to meet was the culprit, now known to me as Kira. Besides Naoto, the other members of the team are Yu Narukami, Light Yagami, Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, and Rise Kujikawa. In addition, the team has the aid of Shadow King Teddie and Fifth-Generation Anti-Shadow Weapon Labrys.

These last two were eliminated immediately as I knew the culprit had to be human. Naoto is someone I trust completely, and Kanji despite his demeanor is too softhearted. Rise is in no position to be able to identify these criminals to kill them, and Light as her boyfriend would be in a similar position, despite being the most likely candidate personality-wise. Yukiko dislikes killing, and with Chie wishing to join the police force she wouldn't go through with this either. Yosuke could be a good possibility, but with his lack of patience he would have been caught days ago. As for Narukami, he has too strong a sense of honor for this sort of thing.

Once I had made contact with the Inaba team, I outline my initial plan and spoke with the ICPO. After confirming that these deaths were in fact murders, I made it clear that I would need the full aid and cooperation of the ICPO. I would need the biggest assistance from Japan's National Police Agency, since I knew that Kira was in Japan. My plan was to have the American police force bring in the next murderer they captured to act as me for a televised broadcast to confront Kira, and make sure he wasn't broadcast on the news in any country. My intention was to start the broadcast in the Kanto region of Japan and move from there. The stand-in would pose as me and wait to see if Kira would kill him or not.

December 5th: Our first day of broadcasting yielded surprising results. I had no idea that Kira was able to kill someone from a distance. The stand-in that had been selected, Lind L. Tailor, played his role almost perfectly. It obviously fooled Kira because he acted rather quickly, killing Tailor before our very eyes. When I saw this it confirmed many of my suspicions, and brought many knew questions as to how Kira was able to pull this off. I explained to him the full scope of my plan and even dared him to try to kill me. The fact that he was unable to made me realize that he at least needed to know of his victims before he could kill them. With the first move made, me and the Inaba team began to plan our next.

December 9th: A task force had been assembled at the NPA, led by Light's father Soichiro, the Detective Superintendent. A few interesting facts were made clear to me in regards to Kira. Among these was the possibility that Kira might in fact be a student. My talks with the Inaba team had also led to believe that Kira needs to know someone's name before he could kill them. I decided to see if he also needed to know what his victim looked like, so I had some of the investigators check to see if photos of criminals were being made public prior to their deaths. At this point, I began to suspect that Kira was trying to play God and was punishing criminals for the sake of riding the world of evil. I found that to be rather ironic.

December 12th: It was brought to my attention that twenty-three criminals had died in total the previous day, one on the hour every hour. This had been going on for two days. In addition, Kira had been making sure his next few victims were soley broadcast within Japan, and that they were prison inmates. From this I determined that Kira could control when his victims die, and he was showing this to us. As mentioned by Light, I felt that the timing of this was too convenient. I began to suspect that Kira had access to police information that was meant to be kept out of the public eye. Despite knowing that the NPA might be angered, I knew that I had no choice but to investigate them to find the source of the leak. It was frustrating playing right into Kira's hands.

December 14th: I had contacted the FBI the previous day, and had received confirmation that they had entered Japan. In total there would be twelve agents. One was the team leader, one would remain in contact with me, and the other ten would work with a member of the Inaba team each. The FBI had been brought in secretly, so that neither Kira nor the NPA would have any knowledge of them, and there would be no record in the police files for Kira to hack into. My only concern was what would happen should the police find out about this. Since I knew Kira would be trying to kill me after I likely humiliated him with the fake broadcast, I figured he would try to use the police to discover my identity.

December 19th: A total of six inmates were found dead from heart attacks, with three of them exhibiting unusual behavior before dying. One had drawn a pentagram on the wall of his cell using his own blood, another had written out a dying message, and a third had escaped from his cell and ran to the guards' bathroom before dying. I quickly realized that perhaps Kira could control his victims actions leading up to death, and Light put forth the theory that these actions had to be realistic. In addition, Kanji had spotted a hidden message in the letter, which I took to be a clue directly from Kira.

December 20th: It was on this day that Light had a most unusual encounter. He and the FBI agent he was working with, Raye Penber, had boarded a bus bound for Spaceland while tracking Raye's target for his assignment. Light had been with Rise to avoid attracting too much attention. During the ride, a drug addict suddenly boarded the bus with a loaded gun and attempted to hijack it. However, before his demands could be met, he saw what was assumed to be a hallucination and fired his gun at it, mercifully missing all the passengers. After this, he demanded to be let off and was shortly thereafter struck by a car, dying instantly. It was during the hijacking that Penber was forced to hand his ID to the person he was tailing. Knowing this, Light had asked Teddie to follow Penber in one week.

December 27th: Here's where things start to take a turn for the bizarre. While tracking Penber, Teddie saw him being held hostage by who he assumed was Kira. Kira had forced Penber onto the Shibuya terminal and somehow used him to kill the other FBI agents. Raye was spared this fate, but not by Kira. Teddie himself somehow managed to save him, using a previously unknown power that allowed him to use a person's shadow to save them from Kira's power. Nonetheless, the fact that the other eleven agents were killed was enough to make the FBI pull out, and as anticipated the NPA was not happy.

December 31st: Having learned that the task force was shrinking, I knew now was the best opportunity to repair relations with the police. I invited the remaining detectives to join me at a hotel of my choosing. I would also reveal that the Inaba team was involved for the first time. Other than Detective Yagami, the remaining members of the task force were Shuichi Aizawa, Kanzo Mogi, Hirokazu Ukita, and Touta Matsuda. Each would be accompanied by two members of the Inaba team. At this point I took on the additional alias of Ryuzaki, after the alias of a convicted murderer I had helped capture. Once the full task force had arrived, we became known as IVK, or Inaba versus Kira. I laid down the new ground rules for the investigation, and offered my thoughts on the case.

January 1st: Light had gone off to meet a contact who said they had information regarding Kira. The contact turned out to be Naomi Misora, a former FBI agent I had once worked with. The information she gave was quite interesting. If she was to be believed, then it was likely that Kira could kill in ways other than a heart attack. This, plus the fact that her fiancee Raye Penber had been targeted, caused me to shortlist my list of suspects to the members of the Kitamura family. Koreyoshi Kitamura is the Deputy Director of the NPA, and of the members of his family, his son Kisuke seemed the most suspect. This was the first I had heard of Kisuke, but Light knew him well as they were classmates. I decided to set up surveillance in the Kitamura household to try and find information regarding Kira.

January 8th: This began our surveillance of the Kitamura household. At first all we saw from Kisuke was him looking through lewd magazines. During dinner with his family, we showed a message on TV falsely announcing that the ICPO was sending in more agents in response to the Kira murders. Kisuke didn't seem to react, and simply grabbed a snack for studying. Later that night we observed him as he went about his studies for the college entrance exam. During this time, two more criminals were killed by Kira. Since Kisuke seemed to have no knowledge of these criminals, it seemed as though he could not be Kira. However, Light thought it might be possible for Kisuke to have hidden a smaller TV in the potato chip bag he had.

April 5th: Having already discontinued surveillance of the Kitamura household, and been given the idea to observe Kisuke in college, I decided to enroll at To-Oh University. Me and Light managed to get perfect scores and shared the title of Class Representative. At the time I was going under the alias of Hideki Ryuga. This was a defense against Kira. If Kisuke were Kira, and I were to reveal to him that I am L, Kisuke couldn't move to kill me since he didn't know if the name I gave was an alias. He also couldn't risk trying it since he might accidently kill the famous pop idol who shared the name I was using. This established, I was ready to make my next move.

April 7th: I decided to try profiling Kisuke using a tennis match. While I knew him winning or losing would provide no insight as to whether or not he was Kira, I thought it might be a good chance to see how he thinks. Shortly after he won, we continued to speak at a local coffee shop. I used the messages sent to me by Kira to test Kisuke's deductive reasoning skills, and began to doubt that he was Kira. Misfortune struck, however, when Detective Yagami collapsed from a heart attack of his own. It appeared to be natural, however, rather than induced by Kira, and Detective Yagami survived. This fact relieved Light to no end. He, his father, and myself, began to feel that whoever Kira was, his power was a cursed one. Kisuke was with us when we said this, and I begin to wonder how he felt about that.

April 18th: A strange broadcast came from Sakura TV. It seems that someone claiming to be Kira had sent a number of tapes to the station with demands that they be broadcast lest the employees of the station be killed. After several deaths predicted on the tapes had been confirmed, I gave orders to have the broadcast stopped. However, no one at he station was answering calls. In desperation, Ukita tried to break into the station, only to be killed at the front entrance. In anger, Labrys tried the same knowing she wouldn't suffer the same fate. Before she could break in, however, a police van rammed into the studio lobby. The driver turned out to be Detective Yagami, who confiscated all the tapes Sakura TV had. After viewing these tapes, I came to the conclusion that we were dealing with a second Kira, different from the first.

May 27th: By this time we had been going back and forth with the Second Kira using a fake Kira. I had managed to convince Kisuke to join our task force and from his actions and reactions, I am still on the fence in regards to him being Kira. I am a little shaken by the Second Kira making mention of shinigami. By this time we have collected physical evidence, and Rise had mentioned the possibility that at least one of the packages from the Second Kira was from her friend Misa Amane. I have come to the conclusion that the two Kiras have met and are working together, which has elevated the threat level.

July 23rd: I have become rather confused by events up to this point. Some time after we had arrested Misa Amane, she somehow had a complete change in memory and personality. Shortly thereafter, Kisuke came over and demanded to be confined as well, and then experienced the same change. At first I thought it was an act, since criminals had stopped dying. But once they picked up again, things really got confusing. Just to be safe, I waited for a little over a month. Then after speaking with Deputy Director Kitamura, I created a situation that would prove once and for all whether or not Kisuke and Misa were the ones behind the killings. Once I was convinced they were not, I ended their confinement, but continued to have them monitored. I have also allowed Kisuke to join the task force, now being called Inaba Investigations Incorporated, or III.

October 25th: Things have been going along at a decent pace. Thanks to Kisuke's research, we have found a connection between Kira and the Yotsuba Corporation. With some dumb luck from Matsuda, we managed to narrow the field to eight executives and began to monitor them. Misa, through some unknown means, was able to pinpoint Kira as being Kyosuke Higuchi. With this knowledge in mind, III has set up a plan to make sure Higuchi was captured and unable to pass on his powers as Kira to someone else. For the first time in weeks, I feel that rush from solving major crimes that I had lost after having to admit that Kisuke couldn't be Kira.

October 28th: Everything has gone according to plan, barring some unforeseen irregularities. Once Higuchi was tricked by the broadcast from Sakura TV, we started tracking his movements, but at first it was difficult to determine his killing method. Once he exhibited powers similar to the Second Kira, being able to kill just by looking at a face, we were forced to take immediate action to apprehend him. With some unexpected help from the NPA, we were able to accomplish this. And that was when I first learned of the Death Note, a tool used by shinigami to kill people. Apparently this tool can fall into human hands and give them the power of a shinigami. In addition anyone who touches the Death Note can see the shinigami who once owned it. Unfortunately, Higuchi wound up dying before we could take him into custody. Light seems to think the real Kira had something to do with it.

November 5th: I don't know what to make of the story Light gave me. In a dream he had prior to his trip to Inaba, he had been Kira. He used some of the knowledge from the dream and his own intuition to predict Kira's moves. He has told me of my upcoming death. The killings have started again, and Light believes the original Kira is back, rather than it being a new Kira altogether. I have already considered the possibility of there being two Death Notes, maybe more, within the human world. Right now, as things stand, I may end up losing this fight. But I know that there are others who can continue to battle Kira. To whoever reads this, seek out Wammy House. There are two children there with intelligence equal to my own. Have this message sent to them and allow them to work with you. For this much I know... Kira must be stopped.

* * *

Light finished sending the file L had directed him to. _'L's complete thoughts on the Kira case. At the rate Teddie is going, he may be able to save him. But he can't just return after the rest of us saw him "die", and he knows it.'_ "Well," Kisuke said, "What now? It's been ten days, so I guess the rest of us are okay." Light nodded. "As L wished, the III will continue using this building as a headquarters. We can use this voice filter program to continue to act as L and Watari and give orders to the police to make it look like L is still alive." "Speaking of that," Aizawa said, "We actually did find out who Watari really is. Turns out he's a famous inventor and scientist who did a lot of research into... Get this... Persona theory. He also used the fortune he inherited from his patents to found orphanages across the world."

Naoto nodded. "L was one of the residents of his first orphanage, called Wammy House. I once visited there with my grandfather." Matsuda looked around. "So anyway, who do we get to play L? I mean, I know my vote is for Light, but..." "It's fine," Light said, "But just to be safe, I won't be L by myself. We'll have Kisuke be L's public voice, while the rest of III work in secret to do L's work. While we're at it, we can also play the parts of Eraldo Coil and Deneuve to solve further cases while still working on the Kira case. I'll set up a secret website to gather more III members, as well as call in some favors. It's clear we're going to need a lot more manpower to pull this off." Kisuke nodded. "Sounds good, but what about the Death Note?" "We can keep it in the vault in the upper basement," Teddie said, "It was built to keep evidence safe and secure."

* * *

A few days later, Kisuke was sitting in a restaurant with Misa. _'It's almost too easy without L,'_ Kisuke thought, _'But at least there's something important in my life to keep me busy. And I'm not talking about being Kira.'_ "Say Misa," he said, "How would you like to move in with me? I've already rented myself a new apartment." Misa's face lit up. "Really? Yeah, sure. Wow, I guess that means I won instead of Kiyomi, huh?" Kisuke laughed. "You had already won from the beginning. I never had any actual feelings for her, she was just a distraction." Misa smiled. "I thought so, but it's nice to hear you admit it." Kisuke smiled at her. _'Eyes or no eyes, Misa is very important to me as a person. At first I just became Kira because I was bored, but when Misa told me her story, I knew I was doing some good. Now this is all for her.'_

* * *

Kisuke was now ready to begin creating a new world. He had decided to spare Aiber, Wedy, Adachi, and the remaining members of the Yotsuba Group as payment for their unwitting assistance in helping him overcome the threat of L. In April of 2012, Light Yagami joined the NPA, and under the guise of L stifled the media's broadcasting of criminals in an effort to halt Kira's work. One week later, Kisuke Kitamura also joined the NPA. That summer, criminals began to die at an unprecedented rate, despite Light's best efforts. The people of the world began to fear Kira, but there were many who began to worship him. Whole countries began to accept Kira's judgement, and the world moved toward a dark age where Kira's word would be law. However, Kisuke had forgotten about the message from L. Teddie had managed to use his new power to save L's life on the day he had written himself to die. On that day, Wammy House had received word that L had been beaten by Kira.

Next chapter: Abduction

**Stay tuned, the time-skip is next chapter. Read and review.**


	27. Chapter 27: Abduction

**Kira's new world is about to be threatened. By the way, I used an image from Persona 4: The Golden for the older Inaba team. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"If you just write 'die of accident' for the cause of death the victim will die from a natural accident after six minutes and forty seconds from the time of writing it."

Chapter 27: Abduction

At Wammy House, Roger Ruvie had just gotten word. Watari's former assistant, Roger was an elderly man with graying hair and dark eyes behind thick reading glasses. He was wearing his brown dress suit. He was sitting in the main office with two teens from the orphanage, Near and Mellow. Near almost looked like a younger version of L, even dressed like him, but had white hair and blue eyes. He was busy working on a jigsaw puzzle. Mello was dressed in black casual clothes, and had dirty blonde hair that came down to his shoulders, as well as dark blue eyes. Roger looked at the two of them. "I'm afraid L has disappeared." Mello was shocked. "What? What happened? He's not dead is he?" "I don't know," Roger said, "I recently received a message from a new detective agency in Japan called III. He is either dead or unable to continue his case."

"It can't be...," Mello said, "He promised me he'd capture Kira no matter what." Near picked up the board he was assembling his puzzle on, causing the pieces to drop to the ground. "If you can't win the game... If you can't solve the puzzle... You're just a loser." Mello growled at him. He then turned back to Roger. "Well, if L is dead, did he say which of us would succeed him?" Roger shook his head. "He never made that decision. However I do know that until further notice, a member of III is acting as L. And he has been given instructions to work with the two of you." Mello frowned. "No, that won't work. While I'm sure that someone wouldn't be acting as L unless L himself believed the person capable, there's no way I can work with Near. We just don't get along." He walked out. "I'm leaving. Don't worry about me, I'm almost fifteen and can take of myself."

Roger sighed and looked to Near. Near raised his head. "Well, I for one am looking forward to working with this person who is using L's name. If it's who I think it is, I believe L may have made a good choice. When am I to meet the III?" Roger closed his eyes. "In four years time. That will give the III plenty of time to grow." Near nodded and looked back to the door. _'It's too bad you didn't want to work with me Mello. But then again, it may work to my advantage. Three people fighting against each other could throw off Kira and leave him in the open. Anyway, once I've gotten old enough, I can start to work. Things should get interesting.'_

* * *

Four years later, Near contacted the Director of the FBI and the President of the United States. He revealed the existence of the Death Note and the fact that the real L had disappeared, presumed to be dead but not proven. The current L was a creation of the Japanese police to avoid panic and confusion among the various international police agencies. He also provided detailed evidence implicating Kisuke Kitamura, currently a member of the NPA, as Kira. In response to this, the President agreed to allow Near full access to the FBI and CIA. Together they selected key agents to form a team known as the Special Provisions for Kira, or SPK.

It wasn't long before the SPK privately offered its services to III, which by this point had swelled to to a total of fifty members. Among these were the original Inaba team, as well as Dojima and Adachi, the detectives from the Kira task force, Wedy, and Aiber. Additionally, Mitsuro Kirijo, along with the special SEES organization, also joined. This of course included Labrys' younger sister, Seventh-Generation Anti-Shadow Weapon Aigis. In addition, various detectives, prosecutors, and even defense attorneys all signed up in the hopes of capturing Kira. Publicly the III was led by L, and in truth that was pretty accurate. In order to provide a better defense against Kira, Light had chosen to share the title of L with the other members of the Inaba team.

The III gained financial support from Yotsuba, now with Namikawa as the new CEO. In addition they gained private governmental support from the Inaba team's old friend Taro Namatame, who, inspired by the team's strength, had gotten back into politics and was now the Japanese Prime Minister. III was quickly turning into a world-wide army against Kira, and the acronym now stood for Inaba Investigations International. Kisuke Kitamura was also a member of III, but was kept in the dark about the full scope of their operations. However, he didn't feel this was a problem. After all, who was left on Earth who could stand against the righteous might of Kira? He was about to find out.

* * *

"I can't believe we haven't seen them in four years," Misa said, "I wonder why it took you so long to officially join." Kisuke and Misa were visiting Light and Rise, who had moved into a much larger house in the middle of Inaba. From what Light said, the whole gang would be there, and that included his family. Between spending his time with Misa and working at the NPA, Kisuke hadn't had much time to check in on the III. And now that he thought about it, that may have been Light's intention. "Well," Kisuke said, "I guess we're gonna see how things have changed." He opened the door and walked into the living room.

"Wow," Misa said in amazement, "This is pretty big." She soon saw Light and Misa. "Hey there, you two. Wow, Light you don't look like you've changed at all." Rise giggled. "Well, maybe he is a little bigger." Misa smiled. "And Rise, I don't think I've ever seen you look so gorgeous. But... Why did you let down your hair?" Rise shrugged. "I'm not a teen anymore, so I had to change up from the whole schoolgirl look. At first I was afraid I would start to lose fans, but it seems people like the new Risette just as much as the old version." Misa nodded, then looked to the others. "Narukami looks pretty distinguished now, and Yukiko you look so much more refined. Oh..." She noticed Yukiko had a ring on her left ring finger. Misa became excited. "You and Narukami finally tied the knot?"

Yukiko smiled and nodded. "I've been Yukiko Narukami for about... Two years now. So now me and Narukami will be running the inn together, when we're not busy with III of course." Misa nodded and looked over to Yosuke and Chie. "Chie, I heard you managed to join the Inaba police force. And..." She looked a little closer. "It looks like you grew a few cup sizes." Chie smiled. "Well... It may because me and Yosuke are expecting." Misa's face lit up. "You're having a baby? That's wonderful." She looked around. "Where's Kanji and Naoto?" "Yo," said a guy with black hair and a black business suit sitting on a couch next to a very beautiful young woman in yellow jacket and blue dress. Misa got a closer look and gasped.

"Kanji, Naoto, I almost didn't recognize you," she said, "Kanji when did you dye your hair?" Kanji smirked. "I actually stopped dying it. After I got into college, I decided it was time I started acting more like a man." "And of course," Naoto said, "That meant I had to start acting more like a woman. With good reason recently." Suddenly, there a fuss right next to the couch. Misa looked to see a little baby carriage. Naoto reached into it and pulled a little baby boy with her hair color. Kanji got out a blanket to cover Naoto as she pulled down her shirt to breast feed the baby. "Oh my," Misa said, "I had no idea. How old is he?" "Almost half a year," Kanji said, smiling with pride.

"Hey guys," came Teddie voice. He and Labrys walked into the living room. Teddie seemed to have grown about half a foot, and replaced his usual attire for a formal blue-striped shirt and jeans. Labrys appeared to have grown some as well, likely due to upgrades, and was dressed in a brown dress shirt. "Nice to see you all," Labrys said, "Good news, I'm now officially the new Yasogami High School Principal." The former principal had been so impressed with Labrys' work as Student Body President, he offered to have her replace him after she was done with college. Labrys had been eager to accept. Misa and Kisuke sat down on one of the other couches. "So anyway," Kisuke said, "I think I overheard a little about Kira just now." He turned to Soichiro and Matsuda, who were also there. Light had wanted to show his family his new house, and Matsuda had decided to come along as well.

Soichiro nodded to Kisuke. "It seems Light's efforts to stop all media broadcasting of criminals is proving futile. Many people are going online and posting names and pictures of criminals they had seen on various Pro-Kira websites." Sachiko came over with some tea. "Oh, really now. All this talk of that silly Kira case. We're here to celebrate Light and Rise's new home." "Sorry I'm late," came Sayu's voice. Now a college student, Sayu had really blossomed in the last four years. Upon looking at her, Matsuda became flustered. "Hey there... Sayu," he said, a little nervous. Sayu smiled at him. "You're... Matsuda right? Thanks for helping take care of my father."

Misa giggled. "You're face is turning red Matsu." "Aw," Rise said teasingly, "I think Matsuda has a crush on Sayu." Soichiro looked very stern. "Well you can forget it. I'd never let my daughter marry a cop." Matsuda became forlorn. "Jeez, Chief, you don't have to be so blunt." Sayu giggled. "Well, I think you are kinda nice. And I was thinking... Maybe if you were younger I might have considered going out with you." Matsuda slumped down on the coffee table, causing Yukiko to start laughing. "Some things never change...," Chie said. "It does seem like Sayu has matured over the years," Rise said. Just then, Soichiro's cell phone went off. He answered it. "Hello? Yes." He put the phone down. "It's Aizawa. It seems Director Takimura of the NPA has been kidnapped."

Upon hearing this, he, Matsuda, Kisuke, and Light headed for the car and drove off to NPA headquarters. Aizawa, Mogi, and Ide were waiting for them inside. "So the director was kidnapped?," Light said. Aizawa nodded. "We got the call at around six-o-twelve, about forty-five minutes ago. The kidnappers have already made demands." Soichiro closed his eyes. "And what are those demands?" "Well," Aizawa said, "They want the notebook." Kisuke's eyes widened. _'That's impossible. How can anyone know about the Death Note. Even among III that's a closely guarded secret. Not only that, whoever it is apparently knows that the Japanese police have it.'_

Soichiro looked to his son. "Do you think this could be the work of Kira?" Light shook his head. "No, he already has one. I don't see why he would need ours." "Well someone has to know about it," Kisuke said, "And I can definitely see that kind of power being almost irresistible to the wrong people." Soichiro nodded. "Send a message to all our partner law enforcement agencies, but only tell them about the kidnapping. Right now the Director knows nothing of the notebook, but I doubt the kidnappers know that." Light's eyes narrowed. _'This is Mello's work. I figured it would be sometime around now. The only question is, what's the next step?'_

* * *

Back at III headquarters, Mitsuro Kirijo was on the phone with the SPK. She was a young attractive woman in her mid-twenties, with long flowing red hair and dark red eyes. She was presently wearing a black business suit. She had just been informed about the kidnapping. "That's right," she said to the person on the other end, "We got the call just yesterday. As for the notebook, it's locked up safe here at III. So there's no need to send someone to retrieve it." She listened to the person talk. "Of course. I'll be sure to speak with our supervisors regarding this matter." She hung up, then dialed Yu's cell phone. "It's Mitsuro. I've just gotten off the phone with the SPK. Seems they're willing to assist us in regards to the recent kidnapping."

* * *

Deep inside a secret base, Mello was working with several members of The Mafia, a well known west coast criminal organization. He had already proven his ability to them by helping them find a rival crime boss that even Kira was unable to track. _'From what the Director said, it seems that out of all the NPA members signed on with III, Soichiro Yagami has the highest rank. However, just to be safe, I need to make sure we have a plan B. No... More like plan C, since right now we're still going on our first plan. Right now, I'm certain there are two notebooks. Kira has one of them, and the other is in the hands of III. I'll make sure to get both of them, and then eliminate my competition.'_

Just then, Rod Ross, the leader of The Mafia, stepped in. He was a very large man in a white casual suit. He was completely bald and had a thin beard and mustache. "We got a problem Mello. Seems Kollet dosed off for a bit while watching Takimura, and the guy went and hung himself with his tie. Now we're short a hostage." Mello closed his eyes. "I wouldn't bother punishing Kollet. This is clearly Kira's work. Since he doesn't know our names or faces, he gone after the one person he knows he can kill. However, by doing so he's revealed that he's someone who knows about the kidnapping." Ross nodded. "I get it, meaning he has to be a part of the Japanese police, or at least have access to their files." "That's it exactly," Mello said as he bit into his chocolate bar, "And don't worry about not having a hostage. I've already thought up a new plan."

* * *

"You really shouldn't let Mr. Yagami get to you," Labrys said to Matsuda. The two of them were driving down to III to make sure there was additional security on the vault where the Death Note was kept. Matsuda sighed. "It's not really him that's the problem. I'm sure the reason he said he wouldn't let Sayu marry a cop is because he was certain they wouldn't be around as often as she'd probably like. If that were the only problem I could just quit the NPA again and find a new job." Labrys smirked. "So... The real problem is that Sayu shot you down right?" Matsuda nodded. Suddenly, Labrys' internal danger sensors went off. _'Unregistered guns detected? Better check this out.'_

As luck would have it, the source of the signal was right on their route. There were a few thugs in ski masks trying to kidnap someone. When Labrys saw who it was, she smiled and pulled alongside them, causing them to stop and stare. "Hey," Labrys said to Matsuda, "You really wanna impress Sayu, you can start by saving her life." Before Matsuda could ponder this, Labrys had opened the door and kicked him out of the car. Before the kidnappers could react, Matsuda had slammed into one of them, knocking them to the ground. It didn't take Matsuda long to see what Labrys was talking about. The other kidnapper had Sayu by the arm. Thinking quickly, Matsuda pulled out his gun and didn't even wait for the other kidnapper to make a move.

Firing a warning shot past the kidnapper's face, he shouted, "I'd let her go if I were you!" The kidnapper growled, but let Sayu go and ran for his car. Before the first kidnapper could get up, Labrys already had him in a full-nelson. "Say pal," she said, "Why go to all the trouble of trying to kidnap this girl?" The kidnapper stayed silent. Labrys just shrugged. "Alright, I suppose my husband back at III can worm it out of you." Matsuda got started calling for backup, when Sayu unexpectedly embraced him. "Thank you...," she said softly. Matsuda blushed and nodded, then looked to see Labrys was smirking. Meanwhile, the other kidnapper was on his phone as he drove. "It flopped, some unexpected interference showed up and nabbed my partner." Ross's voice came over the phone. 'Not to worry. While Mello was sure this plan would work, he has another plan in place just in case. It's a bit riskier, but is just as likely to get the NPA's attention.'

* * *

Back at NPA headquarters, Kisuke got a call on his cell. "Hello?" The voice that came over the phone was unfamiliar to him. 'You are Kisuke Kitamura correct? The Deputy Director's son?' Kisuke narrowed his eyes. "Who is this?" 'You can call me Jack Neylon,' the caller said, 'And don't bother looking me up to kill me with that notebook, cause that's an alias. I'm with the people who recently kidnapped Director Takimura of the NPA. Unfortunately, he was uncooperative, and we were forced to kill him.' _'Liar,' _Kisuke thought, _'I killed him myself using my own Death Note. But I'd imagine you may have guessed that and used it to your advantage.'_

"I see," he said to Jack, "And your point?" 'The point Mr. Kitamura,' Jack said, 'Is that we are now in need of new hostage. We tried to kidnap Detective Superintendent Yagami's daughter, but ran into unexpected complications. Don't worry, we didn't kill her or anything. You're buddies from III made sure of that. However, our boss knew of a hostage just as good. One second.' The next voice that came on the phone made Kisuke's eyes widen. 'Big Bro! Help me!,' came Kujo's voice. After a second, Jack came back on. 'As you can see, our boss had plans to kidnap your younger brother in case our first option failed. Right now you have proof your brother's still alive. If you want it stay to that way, bring the notebook.'

Kisuke closed his eyes. It was easy for him to kill Takimura, and difficult for him to kill Light's younger sister. It was practically impossible for him to kill his own little brother. "One thing before I agree. Is my mother alright?" 'She's fine,' Jack said, 'She'll need to see a doctor, and in fact you should be getting a call soon saying she was sent to the hospital, but we left her alive with little more than a few contusions.' Kisuke sighed. "Fine. What are my instructions?" He figured whoever these people were knew of at least two notebooks, but fortunately he knew there were in fact three. And if he let go of one temporarily, he could save his brother and then retrieve the Death Note at a later time. 'Very good,' Jack said, 'I'd say don't tell any police about this, but I'm talking to the police right now. Besides, it wouldn't matter if you did.'

* * *

The task force was meeting at Kisuke's apartment. He had a special ops center as a secondary base in his living room. "The kidnappers want me to make the exchange," Kisuke said, "And the destination is somewhere in Los Angeles." At that moment, a call came from the computer terminal. _"Hello there," _came a voice that was unfamiliar to Kisuke. Light seemed to know it very well. "N, I take it you've heard." _"Yes,"_ said the person known as N, _"I must say things have gotten pretty interesting. However, I think I know who is behind this kidnapping. It's an old acquaintance of mine named Mello. I believe he may even now be working with a criminal organization known as The Mafia."_

Light nodded. "I see. By the way, did you get the message I sent?" _"Yes,"_ N said, _"And it was most informative. I'm certain Mello believes there are two notebooks, but after speaking with III, I believe there may in fact be three. It's really a shame that Mello refused to assist us in this matter, because I believe Kira owns at least two of the notebooks, and will do anything to make sure that no one else gets them."_ Kisuke narrowed his eyes. _'Who is this N? And, Light sent a message? Is this how other people know of the Death Note? And this feeling. When I listen to N talk, it's like I'm battling L all over again...'_

Next chapter: Impatience

"Even though only one name is written in the Death Note if it influences and causes other humans that are not written in it to die the victim's cause of death will be a heart attack."

**I can't believe Kisuke thought it would be that easy. Read and review.**


	28. Chapter 28: Impatience

******Disclaimer: I don't Death Note or Persona 4.**

"If you have traded the eye power of a god of death you will see a person's primary life span in the human world."

Chapter 28: Impatience

_'This feeling,'_ Kisuke thought, _'It's like I'm talking to L, like I'm battling him all over again.'_ _"Right now I'd like to speak to the person currently acting as L,"_ N said. Kisuke picked up the voice filter. "**That would be me. And, what do you mean by 'posing as L'?**" _"The message we received from Light explained that either L was dead, or he was no longer able to continue the Kira case," _N explained, _"We received this message four years ago and have only recently gotten in touch with III. They know me as Near. How and why we know L, I'll leave that for later. For now we of the SPK are willing to allow the Japanese police to handle this hostage situation. We'll monitor your actions via satellite and have a team standing by in case things get out of hand. Until then."_

* * *

Back at his apartment, Kisuke sat on the coach and closed his eyes. _'And here I thought things would go smoothly. But it looks as though there are criminals lurking in pits so dark and deep, even Kira's light cannot reach them to punish them for their transgressions. Still, any rat can be lured out from it's hole. My first priority, however, is seeing my little brother home safe.'_ Misa walked in. "You feeling okay Kisuke?" "No," he said sadly, "I've just learned that someone kidnapped my brother. He and I have been best friends almost since the day he was born. For the first time in my life, I feel as if the Death Note really has cursed me." He turned to Misa. "In two days I need to be in Los Angeles to exchange the notebook at III for my brother."

He hung his head sadly. "I hate this. Fighting against L kept me sharp, but I couldn't have him around anymore because his very existence was threatening you. I'm trapped... I actually helpless..." Misa sat down next to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "He'll be fine. You'll find a way to get him back. And then we can punish those people who took him." Kisuke embraced her and began crying. "Misa... Thank you..." Misa looked sad as she returned his embrace. _'I've never seen Kisuke like this. I hope for his sake his brother makes it, or I'm afraid he could break down altogether.'_

* * *

At the airport, Kisuke walked to the terminal carrying a briefcase that contained the Death Note that had been left by Rem. He wanted to make sure he was trading a Death Note not connected to a shinigami so he wouldn't lose Ryuk, so before he left he shuffled around control of the Death Notes. Following him at a distance was Aizawa. Aizawa had gotten himself a haircut in an effort to make himself less distinctive. As Kisuke got on the auto-way, a tall man with long blonde hair walked up behind him. "Mr. Kitamura," he said, "I'm with the kidnappers. You are to board flight SC333. I have your tickets with me." He casually handed Kisuke the tickets. Kisuke narrowed his eyes, but took the tickets anyway.

As Aizawa watched the two of them get off the auto-way, he spoke to Light on his transceiver. "There's a suspicious individual following Kisuke. Move to apprehend?" 'Negative,' Light said, 'We don't want to jeopardize the mission. Check which flight they're getting on and make note of its destination.' Aizawa nodded. He continued to follow them at a safe distance. When Kisuke and the kidnapper got on the terminal, Aizawa looked at the flight board. "Flight SC333, bound for Los Angeles. Looks like the kidnappers want to control Kisuke's path." Kisuke got on the plane, the kidnapper right behind. Once on board, the kidnapper took a window seat in the middle of plane, and had Kisuke sit next to him. "Did you bring it?," the kidnapper asked. Kisuke opened the briefcase to confirm he had the Death Note with him. The kidnapper handed him a small earpiece. "Here's a message from our boss."

Kisuke put on the earpiece, and Mello's voice came over it. 'I see you can here me. To prove this is live, I'll let you ask me a question. If I answer correctly, you'll know it's really me and not a recording.' Kisuke thought for a second. "What is the color of the pen in my pocket?" Mello chuckled. 'You don't have a pen in your pocket.' Kisuke knew the only way Mello could have known that was if he was watching via hidden camera. "Correct." 'Good,' Mello said, 'Now that you believe that I'm actually talking to you, I'll do you a favor in return for proving you brought the notebook with you.' Kujo's voice came over the earpiece. 'Kisuke, is that you? Please, help me!'

Mello soon took over. 'Sit quiet for a sec and your bro will help you out no problem. Now then Kisuke, since we've now established we've each held up our end of the bargain, your flight will be taking a little detour.' At that moment, the plane shifted slightly to the left. "What's going on?," Kisuke asked the kidnapper next to him. "We've paid off the pilot to bring this flight to our little meeting place," the kidnapper said, "To ensure no one will interfere, he's allowing air traffic control to continue monitoring us via radar, and has threatened to crash the plane if there is any military involvement." Kisuke frowned. _'I'm starting to think it was a mistake not making the trade for the shinigami eyes. Since Ryuk is currently attached to Misa, I can't make it now. And even if he were here, I'd just draw too much attention to myself.'_

* * *

Kujo was stuck inside a three-part revolving door made of glass in the middle of a dark room. On the other side was one of the kidnappers, dressed in a white suit and wearing a metal mask. After a few minutes, Kisuke came in carrying a briefcase. Kujo smiled when he saw him. "Big Bro! You're here!" The kidnapper pointed the gun just above their heads and fired. The bullet bounced of the glass. Holstering his gun, the kidnapper said, "As you can see, the glass is bullet-proof. I trust you brought it." Kisuke nodded and opened the briefcase, then pulled out the Death Note. The kidnapper nodded. "Very good. Now then, hold it through the opening in front of me." Kisuke did so. As the kidnapper took out a pen and wrote down a few names, Kisuke thought to himself, _'Those had better not be innocent people, for your own sake.'_

After a minute, there was a call over the intercom. _"Y462, we have confirmed the targets are dead."_ The kidnapper known as Y462 nodded. "Looks like it's real. Set it down and we'll make the exchange." Kisuke narrowed his eyes, but did as he was told. The notebook triggered a pressure plate that caused the room with the kidnapper and the notebook to disappear behind a wall, while the room with Kujo opened up. As soon Kujo was free, he ran over to Kisuke and hugged him. "Thanks Big Bro! Is Mom okay?" Kisuke nodded. "She's fine. And I know she'll be a lot better once she knows you're safe." He led Kujo out back to airplane.

* * *

When Misa heard the door to the apartment open, she looked up to see Kisuke walk in and flop down on the couch. "Are you alright? How's Kujo?" "He's fine, thank God," Kisuke said, "But it looks like the kidnappers managed to get the notebook." As Kisuke and Kujo had boarded the plane, they saw a helicopter take off, and shortly afterward a missile rose up from a hidden launch point and fired. After Kisuke saw the helicopter blow up, he knew the Death Note had to be on the missile. "Unfortunately, it's impossible to track a missile by radar, so the Death Note could anywhere by now." Misa sat to next him. "Need some cheering up?" Kisuke looked at her and smiled. "I guess I could use some relaxation." He glared at Ryuk. **"I know, I know. You two want your privacy."** Kisuke smirked, and he and Misa moved to the bedroom.

* * *

In the Shinigami Realm, a shinigami named Sidoh left the castle of the King of Death. Sidoh was a white shinigami in heavy clothes that covered most of his body. His head was wrapped in bandages, showing only his cat-like eyes and his rounded mouth, which was filled with needle-like teeth. His arms were thin and insect-like, and ended in three long, red claws. He approached the throne of the King's right-hand man, Armonia Justin Beyondormason. Armonia had the appearance of a golden skeleton covered in brown cloth. Much of his body was covered in jewels, and his eyes looked like perfectly cut diamonds.

As Armonia saw Sidoh walk out, he said, **"Went to see the King did you? And what did he have to say?" **Sidoh looked depressed. **"When I told him I lost my Death Note and described it to him, he said Ryuk had already come by and said it was his. Said he had lost it. And now it turns out he went and dropped it in the human world." **Armonia chuckled. **"Then I guess your only choice is to go to the human world yourself, and ask Ryuk to give it back. Unless you plan on letting your remaining years run out."** Sidoh sighed. **"I was afraid that's what you were going to say. Oh well, I suppose if I'm going to get my Death Note back, I really have no choice."**

Next chapter: Father

"The names you see with the eye power of a god of death are the names needed to kill that person. You will be able to see the names even if than person isn't registered in the family registration."

**Just read and review already.**


	29. Chapter 29: Father

******Some things you just can't avoid. What am I talking about? Read on. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"If a person loses possession of a Death Note, they will not recognize the gods of death by sight or voice any more. If however, the owner lets someone else touch his Death Note, from that time on, that person will recognize the god of death.

Chapter 29: Father

Kisuke watched as his little brother and his mother embraced each other. Kujo was crying so much it almost looked like it was flooding. "Momma, I was so scared." Yuna patted her younger son on the head. "It's all right Kujo, everything's fine. You were a very brave boy." Kisuke sighed. _'I'm just glad things ended in a favorable conclusion. Now I only need to retrieve the Death Note before The Mafia kills any more people.'_ Earlier he had learned that several members of the SPK had died, most by heart attacks with at least one suicide. Near was still alive, as well as three other agents, Halle Lidner, Stephen Gevanni, and Anthony Rester. Luckily, Kisuke was sure that even if Mello knew about the shinigami eyes, he didn't know that a person who owns a Death Note will have their life-span hidden from the eye power.

* * *

Back at Kisuke's apartment, Ryuk was lying on couch. Spotting an apple in a fruit basket on the table, he went to grab it when he heard a familiar voice say, **"Hi Ryuk."** Ryuk looked over to see Sidoh. **"Heh, I was wondering what was keeping you."** **"Listen Ryuk,"** Sidoh said, **"I just want my notebook back, that's all."** Ryuk scoffed and started munching the apple. **"Sorry, things got a little... Complicated. Right now I don't even know where it is. Guess you're going to have to look for it yourself."** Sidoh groaned. **"I should have known you'd lose it. Why are you always so careless with these things?"** He was about to fly off, when Ryuk said, **"If you want, you can stick around for a bit. My pal Kisuke has a plan to locate the Death Note."** Sidoh looked at him, interested.

* * *

Kisuke walked back to his apartment. _'It seems both Near and Mello came from an orphanage called Wammy House, which was founded to groom gifted minds to become the next L. The top picks for this were Near and Mello. From the sound of things, Mello was also losing out to Near, which would give him the perfect motive for wanting to get his hands on the notebook. Near and Mello... It seems I really am still fighting L after all this time. The tricky part was finding out who currently owns the Death Note I handed over. Misa used her eyes to check out known Mafia syndicates, and found it after a few minutes. Turns out it was Jack Neylon, who's real name is Kal Snyder. Then I simply used my own Death Note to make him send me a letter with the address of his gang's hideout.'_

He walked into the living room to see Misa holding a letter. "It came today," Misa said, "Just as we thought." Kisuke took a look. "Seems he's in Los Angeles. Perfect, we've outmaneuvered Near and Mello, and right under III's nose." He placed the letter in an ashtray and lit it on fire. As he and Misa sat on the couch, Misa said, "So, does this mean I was useful to you?" Kisuke nodded. "With the Death Note in hand and you at my side, I feel almost invincible. I love you Misa." The two of them began to kiss. Unseen by either of them, Sidoh got a good look at the address as it burned away. **"Los... Angeles..."** He left the apartment and flew off.

* * *

Back at The Mafia's headquarters, Mello took a look at the rules for the Death Note. "I suppose our next step is to find out how much control we can have over a person. I know from Light Yagami's message that we need to be realistic, but I'd like the chance to see how far we can push that." Sidoh was in the room, unseen by the group. **"Oh, this no good. They need to be able to see me before I can ****talk to them. And for that to happen, I need to find who owns the Death Note right now."** He looked around the room and found Kal Snyder. He was a tall man in his thirties with dirty blonde hair that came down to his shoulders, as well as beady eyes behind a pair of rounded glasses. He wore a white casual suit with black shirt. **"Looks like he's the owner, since I can't see his life-span. I'll have to start with him."** Sidoh grabbed the Death Note from Mello's grasp and dropped it on Snyder's head. **"Tag, you're it."**

Mello was a little shocked by what he just saw. "The notebook... Just flew." Ross laughed. "It's a notebook that kills people. Why should anything else be surprising?" Suddenly Snyder screamed out, "Boss! Who's this freak in the costume?! Who invited him?!" **"I came here on my own," **Sidoh said, **"I'm actually a shinigami. And if you don't want the others to think you're crazy, then pass the notebook around."** Snyder grabbed the notebook and said, "He says you can see him if you touch the notebook. Please, I'm not crazy." The others hesitated at first, but went ahead and touched the Death Note. The second they all saw Sidoh, they screamed and fired at him. However, the bullets passed harmlessly through him. Sidoh chuckled. **"Sorry, but you humans can't kill a shinigami."**

The group calmed down and lowered their guns. "Looks like that really is a shinigami," Ross said. Sidoh nodded, then noticed the chocolate bar in Mello's hand. **"Is that... Chocolate?"** Mello nodded nervously, then tossed him the chocolate bar. Sidoh caught it and eagerly started munching it. "Heh," Ross said, "Looks like each shinigami has different things they like, not just apples." Sidoh finished the chocolate bar. **"Apples huh? That's actually Ryuk, but that's another story. That reminds me, my name is Sidoh."** Mello got an idea. "Sidoh, was it? We'd like to more about this Death Note. So if you tell us all you know, I'll let you have another chocolate bar." Sidoh nodded eagerly. **"Where should I start?"**

* * *

Back at his apartment, Kisuke handed the Death Note to Ryuk. "As of now, I'm going to give up ownership of this Death Note. All I ask is that you follow whoever you give it to." Ryuk was confused. **"Again? These Death Notes are being passed around so much I'm getting dizzy."** Misa became concerned. "Kisuke, what about your memories." "Don't worry," Kisuke said, "Just lend me your Death Note, and I'll hide it under my shirt so I can stay in contact with it. That way I can keep my memories. I'll give you as many pages as you need. Until further notice, you're going to be Kira." Misa nodded. "So, what's your plan." "I'll explain," Kisuke said, "Feel free to ask any questions if you get confused."

* * *

At The Mafia's hideout, Sidoh was munching on another chocolate bar. "So," Ross said, "You're saying those rules on the back of the Death Note are fake?" Unbeknownst to them, Kisuke had Ryuk write the fake rules on the Death Note now in their possession just in case they thought it was a different Death Note. Sidoh nodded. **"Oh yeah, those two rules are fake alright. My guess is a shinigami wrote them as a prank before giving the Death Note to a human."** Mello was deep in thought. _'Well, it would only hinder us to test the rule about making the Death Note unusable. As for the thirteen day rule, we can have that tested using one of our people. The important thing is, is this the Death Note used by Kira? If so, did he now these rules were fake?'_

He bit into the chocolate bar he had. _'If Kira did now these rules were fake, he either found out by accident, or he had them made up himself. In particular, he could use the thirteen day rule to prove his innocence in less than two weeks.'_ He glared at Sidoh. "Sidoh, go keep watch for us!" Sidoh looked at him, and began to shudder. "Since you can't be seen by others," Mello said, "It'll be very convenient for us! So go keep watch now!" Sidoh gulped. _**'This guy may be human, but he's very scary.'**_ He flew out to do his job. Mello bit into his chocolate bar again. "I'm sure Kira is going to try and find us, but with Sidoh watching, he can alert us ahead of time. Those eyes of his can work just like night-vision goggles."

* * *

At III headquarters, a call came in. Soichiro was the first one to answer it. "Yagami speaking." The person on the other end spoke through a voice filter. '**I am Kira. I understand that the notebook in your possession has fallen into criminal hands. Since I know you would like to see it retrieved, I am willing to cooperate with you for the time being.**' Soichiro was dumbfounded. "Can you prove that you are Kira?" '**Prove it? Now that the notebook is in the hands of others, it's pointless to predict deaths since the criminals who have the notebook could easily kill the same targets. Not to worry though, I've taken this into account. I'll be sending you my own notebook. It gives me the power to see a person's name by looking at their face. Once you have the notebook, that power will be yours.**'

The rest of III was listening in. Kisuke knew it was Misa on the phone, using a computer program to communicate. '**All you have to do is follow my instructions carefully. On November tenth at exactly eleven-fifty-nine pm, I've arranged it so that all known associates of The Mafia will die. It's already written in my notebook, so there's no changing it. I'll send you the address of their hideout. This will be your one and only chance to retrieve the Death Note.**' Soichiro hung up, then turned around as he heard something drop on the floor. It was another Death Note. Picking it up, he saw Ryuk for the first time. **"Hi there. I'm Ryuk. I'd recommend you start passing that notebook around."**

Soichiro nodded. As soon as Light took hold of it, he thought, _'So now I can confirm that it is indeed Ryuk who dropped this Death Note in the first place. It's all going almost exactly as I dreamed it. Right now, I'm guessing Dad is the Death Note's owner, though I doubt he'll use it.'_ Once everyone could see Ryuk, they gathered around. "Looks like we have no choice but to go along with Kira," Kisuke said. Ide nodded. "But even if we know when the criminals are going to die, how do we know when to make our move?" Light sighed. "Right now, Dad is the notebook's owner. I hate to say it, but..." Soichiro nodded. "I know. Our only option is for me to make the eye deal. That way I can see the exact point at which the criminals die."

Matsuda looked a little sad. "Does it really have to be you Chief?" Soichiro smiled at him. "It's all right. I'm the oldest of us all, so giving up half my remaining years is no bother. Besides, I own it to Koreyoshi after what his younger son went through." A tear came to his eye. "My only regret is that I'll never to get the faces of my grandchildren. I have a feeling... My life will end after this." Light realized what his father meant. _'He's knows that no matter what happens, he'll probably die while on this mission. And since it will be a natural death, I can't have Teddie save him.' _Soichiro put a hand on Matsuda's shoulder and smiled. "If anything does happen to me... Be sure to look after my daughter." Matsuda nodded. "Count on me Chief."

* * *

At the location of The Mafia's base, the Inaba team was waiting for the right time to move. With them was Labrys' younger sister Aigis, a newer and slightly more advanced unit with short blonde hair and bright blue eyes. Unlike Labrys, Aigis was outfitted with semi-automatic weapons contained within her hands. She could also produce further ballistic weaponry via nano-creation. Soichiro was also there, ready for the signal. 'Okay,' Kisuke's voice came over the transceiver, 'It's about eleven-fifty. Mr. Yagami, make the eye deal.' Soichiro nodded. "Alright Ryuk, go ahead." Ryuk nodded, and the deal was made. 'Now,' Kisuke said, 'Look at the pictures of The Mafia members we were given. Can you see there names and life-spans.' Soichiro took a look. "Yes, there they are."

He turned to the others. "Alright, we move when I can no longer their names." The team nodded. They waited for a few tense minutes. Finally Soichiro called out, "Now! Move in!" Inside the base, Mello looked as Ross, Snyder, and Kollet collapsed dead on the floor. _'Looks like Kira is involved, but I never thought he'd go this far. I thought I had the perfect plan. And what the heck is Sidoh doing?'_ As it happened, Sidoh had been restrained on the roof by Ryuk. **"Just sit back and watch Sidoh, and you'll have your Death Note back in no time."** Back in the base, Mello ran up to the surveillance room. As he ran, he gave orders to the gang members still alive. "Guys, the notebook is under Ross' body. Grab it and take it up the surveillance room."

As they did so, the III stormed the base SWAT style. Light tossed a flashbang grenade down the stairs to where the two Mafia members were trying to retrieve the Death Note. Before they could get out there guns, Aigis shot them out of their hands. Once the two of them were detained, Soichiro spoke to Kisuke over the transceiver. "We've captured two of them and retrieved the notebook. Do we move out?" 'Negative,' Kisuke said, 'We still need to find and apprehend Mello.' Soichiro nodded. "Alright, spread out and search the facility. Be careful of any traps they have planted." The group nodded and headed out.

* * *

Mello was waiting in the darkened surveillance room. Once he heard someone enter, he hit a trigger in his hand that caused an explosion to rock the room. "Don't move," he said to the person who had entered, "I've already taken out all the entrances to this room, the next explosion will take out the whole base." The figure relaxed his guard. "Now then," Mello said, "Go ahead and take of your helmet." The figure did so, revealing himself to be Soichiro. Mello smirked. "So it's you, huh? I see. I never thought I'd be bargaining for the notebook with you." Soichiro narrowed his eyes as he got a good look at Mello's face. "M-i-h-a-e-l, k-e-e-h-l. So, you're real name is Mihael Keehl."

Mello's eyes widened. _'The only way he could have known that, was if he had traded for the shinigami eyes.'_ Soichiro opened the Death Note. "It's over Mello. Now that I know your name, I can kill you at any time. Surrender now and you'll simply be apprehended." Mello closed his eyes. "Well now, looks like I missed a few details after all. But tell me something, Mr. Yagami, have you ever really killed anyone before?" Before Soichiro could answer, another Mafia member who had been playing dead pulled out a sub-machine gun and fired off several shots, cutting through Soichiro's body armor. He collapsed to the ground, still alive and clutching the Death Note tight.

Before Mello could make a move to grab it, the rest of the strike team appeared. Seeing his father collapsed on the ground, Light fired off his weapon and disarmed the thug. Thinking quickly, Mello set off the last explosion. Before the team was engulfed, Teddie threw up his new-found shadow shield to protect them from the blast. Once the explosion subsided, Light ran over to his father. Carefully picking up his head, he said to him, "Dad? How do you feel?" Soichiro coughed. "Not... not good... Did... Did Kisuke hear Mello's name?" Light nodded. "I think so. Come on, let's get you to a hospital."

* * *

For the second time in his life, Soichiro found himself hooked up to life support equipment. However, this time it didn't feel like he was going to pull through. Weakly, he looked over to his son. "Light... I don't think I have much more time. I just want you to know... I've always been proud of you." Light nodded. "I got that way because I had you for a father." Kisuke, who was sitting next to Light, at first considered trying to convince Soichiro to write Mello's name in the Death Note, but decided against it. _'Any human who uses the Death Note cannot enter Heaven or Hell. After all Soichiro has gone through, I can't condemn him to purgatory.'_

As Soichiro felt the last of his life leave him, Light held his hand. "Dad, I need to know. Can you see Kisuke's life-span?" Soichiro looked over at Kisuke. "Yes," he said weakly, "I can... See..." Then he closed his eyes forever. When Light realized what had happened, he started to break out in tears. "Dad...? Dad, no!" He covered his eyes. _'Damn it! I was able to save so many others, but I still can't save my own father. I guess... I guess this was just his time to die.'_ He looked over to Kisuke. _'Dad said he could see Kisuke's life-span. That means he doesn't own a Death Note. But that doesn't mean he isn't Kira.'_

* * *

Later, the III watched as Kisuke handed Sidoh back his Death Note. "This had caused a lot of trouble," he said, "Make sure you don't lose it a second time." Sidoh nodded and flew off. As Kisuke watched, he thought to himself, _'Recent events have created a vacuum that didn't take long to fill. Dad's been appointed the new Director of the NPA, and Light had been chosen as the new Deputy Director. As the for the Detective Superintendent, Light decided to have Mogi take charge. I suppose it's for the best. If I wind up having too much power from a political standpoint, I could wind up turning out exactly like Higuchi. It's too bad Mr. Yagami never wrote down Mello's full name, but now that I have it, all I have to do is find his current face, and I can kill him at any time.'_

Next chapter: Justice

"In accordance with the above, the human who touched the Death Note and began to recognize the gods of death's sight and voice, will continue to recognize it until that human actually owns the Death Note and subsequently looses possession of it."

**I hated to do that, but I felt it was unavoidable. So, read and review.**


	30. Chapter 30: Justice

******Here's where things start to pick up again. We're approaching the end, and this roller coaster is getting bumpy. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"If a Death Note owner accidentally misspells a name four times, that person will be free from being killed by the Death Note. However, if they intentionally misspell the name four times, the Death Note owner will die."

Chapter 30: Justice

At SPK headquarters, Near was sitting in the middle of a large Lego castle, flying around a toy plane. With him was Anthony Rester, a former special a former special forces commander, and Stephen Gevanni, a talented private investigator. Rester was in his early forties with well-groomed blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He wore his usual business attire without the jacket, as well as his gun holster. Gevanni was approaching his thirties and had wilder black hair with lighter eyes. He was wearing a black dress suit. As Rester observed Near, he said, "Sir, if it's all right, I'd like to know your current thoughts on this case."

Near put down the toy plane and started picking up several action figures. "Right now, the person who is currently Kira is extremely foolish and overconfident. He also seems to be unusually cooperative with the Japanese police. In fact..." He picked up a grim reaper figure and a space police figure. "I believe they may even be working together. If that's the case, then person acting as the second L's voice, and the one who is currently Kira..." He pulled off the space officer's helmet, revealing a skull. "Are one and the same. I say L's voice, because right now we know that L is in fact ten people, with an eleventh acting as L for the public."

* * *

Meanwhile at III, the group was listening to the TV. Demegawa was announcing the beginning of his new show "Kira's Kingdom". "This is sickening," Light said, "Even for Demegawa." Rise frowned. "Remind to take him off my call list, before he tries to rope me into all this." Earlier there had a press release from the President of the United States saying that America was going to remain neutral in regards to Kira. _'Things are getting better and better,'_ Kisuke thought, _'Now that America, the world's most powerful country, is standing to one side, it's only a matter of time before the whole world accepts and worships Kira.'_

* * *

Halle Lidner was showering in her apartment. She was a very attractive young woman in her early thirties, with white-blonde hair and amber eyes. After finishing, she wrapped her body and hair in two different towels. As she stepped out of the bathroom, she turned her head to see Mello leaning against the wall. She breathed a sigh of relief. "You're still alive." Mello had indeed managed to escape from the explosion at The Mafia's base, but his face had become heavily scarred as a result. He smiled at her. "I'm a lot tougher than I seem. Anyway I came here because I need to see Near. He has something of mine." "Alright," Halle said, "But can you let me get dressed first?"

* * *

Near spotted Mello and Halle, now wearing a white dress suit and jacket, walking up to the SPK entrance. "I figured he'd come here if he survived. Commander Rester, go ahead and let him in." When Halle and Mello walked in, Mello found himself face-to-face with Rester and Gevanni's guns. Near sighed. "There's really no need for that. It's not like Mello came here threatening anyone's life. And yes Rester, I'm fully well aware that he's responsible for the death's of our other members." Rester and Gevanni hesitantly put down there guns. "Thanks," Mello said, "I'm sure by now you have a pretty good idea who Kira is." Near nodded. "Yes, and I have you to thank."

Mello growled. "You're lucky I didn't bring a gun. But I couldn't have killed you regardless. That would have killed us both and that's what Kira wants more than anything. I just came here to get my photo." "Of course," Near said, holding up a photo of a younger Mello, "I procured it from Wammy House. This is the only existing photo and we made no copies. I also made sure no one else from Wammy House will reveal you to Kira." Mello took the photo and started walking out. "Before I go. I have a few things I should mention. I don't know how much you've learned from III, but I've learned quite a bit on my own. First, it seems the Death Note came from creatures called shinigami."

Near looked over to him. "Interesting. I did hear that much from Light's message, but at first I wasn't sure what it meant. So I take it you actually met one of these shinigami." "That's right," Mello said, "And it seems that a few rules of the Death Note were faked, possibly by Kira. Well, that's all I have to say. Hopefully the next time we see each other, one of us will have beaten Kira. At this point I don't care who, just so long as this case is put to rest." As Near watched Mello leave, he thought to himself, _'If what Mello says is true, then by process of elimination the most likely rule to be fake would be the thirteen day rule.'_ He turned to the others. "Commander Rester, please contact the III."

* * *

The III got the call rather quickly. Kisuke was the one who answered it. "L here. Go ahead." _"Greetings III and L," _came Near's voice, _"You should know we recently apprehended Mello. However, he managed to escape. We were able to get some interesting information from him, however. First, he was able to confirm the existence of the shinigami. Second, he mentioned one of the rules in Death Note is fake. So L, tell me, which rule do you think it is?"_ Kisuke knew he had no choice but to say it. "Well, we know the Death Note can cause heart attacks as well as other forms of death, and we can confirm the other rules on the front cover as well. As for the back, there's no way to tell one way or the other if the rule about making the Death Note unusable is real. Therefore I can only say it has to be the thirteen day rule."

"_I thought so," _Near said, _"I came to those same conclusions. However, I still feel we should confirm whether or not this rule could be true. So, why not ask the shinigami."_ Kisuke turned to Ryuk, who was in the room with them. "Well? Are there fake rules in the Death Note?" **"Nope,"** Ryuk said, **"They're all real." **_"I see," _Near said, _"You have a shinigami in the room with you right now. And probably lying for Kira. But of course that would mean that Kira is with you right now. This is most interesting. I'll make sure to contact the rest of III individually, and advise all of you to keep a close eye on L."_

Matsuda frowned. "What did he mean by that? And does it really matter if that particular rule is fake?" "Is does," Aizawa said, "It means that Kisuke and Misa's confinement didn't mean a thing. Even though they're still alive, if that rule is fake, then suddenly they're not in the clear anymore." "Maybe not," Light said, "My Dad's last words implied that Kisuke doesn't currently own a Death Note." He looked over to Kisuke. _'Though I have a feeling that's changed. You were holding onto the Death Note when my Dad died, which means it's yours now.'_ Kisuke got up and walked out. "Excuse me, I need some fresh air."

As he walked out of the building, he thought to himself, _'It seems things are getting hectic again. I need to make plans ensure Misa's safety. Right now Near is the one I need to kill.'_ He stopped at a nearby park. _'The world is leaning in favor of Kira, but for all the good I'm doing a small part of me knows that my actions are evil. If Kira wins, he is justice. But if he loses, then he is evil. So for the sake of the world, I must become justice. I must eliminate or control those who would seek to arrest me and focus solely on those who do evil. And for that to happen, I'm going to need Misa's help one last time.'_ He headed off for his apartment.

* * *

Later that day, Light and Rise were having a date at Light's favorite coffee shop. Rise sipped her drink casually. "So, you said you had something important to tell me?" Light cleared his throat. "It's just, ever since the day we met, there's been something about you that just seemed to bring out the best in me. It's like I've been on a road to some twisted fantasy, but when I saw you along a detour, I had to take it. Everything about you is real, and it's made me realize that I need to start living in the real world. And once I did, it's like everything I truly wanted fell before me. All I had to do was reach out for it. Rise, what I'm trying to say is..." He held out a small black box and opened it. Rise's eyes lit up. Inside was a simple silver ring. Simple as it was, Rise knew the implications of it were vast. "Rise," Light said, "Will you marry me?" A smile spread across Rise face as she said, "Yes..."

* * *

Back at his apartment, Kisuke had just contacted the President as Kira. "**Greetings, Mr. President. I am Kira. If you want proof, I can read off a list of people I'm going to kill tomorrow. After checking these, you can make your decision.**" 'That... Won't be necessary,' the President said, 'What do you want?' Kisuke smiled. "**I'm glad you have made the decision to stand aside and let me do my work. However, there is something else I need from you. The SPK, I want you to formally disband it. Then, I want you to have every law enforcement agency in the country, as well as the FBI and CIA, find where they are working. Once you have the location, you will relay the information to a third party. I'll e-mail you the contact information. It's up to you whether or not you live a long life, Mr. President.**"

* * *

The SPK watched on the news as Demegawa from Sakura TV was flying in a helicopter over the SPK building. _"My fellow Kira worshipers! We have located the evil organization that seeks to eliminate our god! Break into the building and drag them out so that Kira may pass judgement upon them!"_ "This is bad," Rester said, "First the President orders us to disband, and now this." Near was playing with the skull from his space officer toy. As he let the skull roll down a Lego slide, he said, "That worthless coward is little more than a maggot afraid to die." Just then, a call came in from III. _"It's L," _came Kisuke's voice,_ "We just saw the news. Are you alright? Do you have a plan to get out?"_ "We'll be fine," Near said, "I've already planned for this emergency."

Next chapter: Transfer

"The person whose name was misspelled four times on purpose will not be free of death by a Death Note."

**I knew I was gonna have that scene with Light proposing to Rise sooner or later, now it's here. I'll be honest, I was considering putting it later. Oh well, read and review.**


	31. Chapter 31: Transfer

**Get ready for the introduction of one of the most psychotic anime characters ever. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"When regaining ownership of the Death Note, the memories associated with the Death Note will also return. In cases where you were involved with other Death Notes as well, memories of all the Death Notes involved will return."

Chapter 31: Transfer

At III, Kisuke was speaking with Near. "I'm glad you have some means to escape, but you'd better do it quick." _"That's a bit cheeky,"_ Near said, _"From the person whose supposed to be Kira."_ Kisuke's eyes widened. "What do you mean?" "It's actually pretty simple," Light said, "There are dozens of Anti-Kira organizations out there, but the SPK was targeted first, and right after Near suggested that Kira might be among us. I'd say that's more than a coincidence." Kisuke nodded. "I see, but that still doesn't make me Kira automatically. There are fifty members of III right now, I don't see how I would be singled out as Near's suspect." _"I suppose you have a point," _Near said, _"Regardless, I do believe Kira is among you. Now if you don't mind, we have plans to make."_

* * *

Near watched the crowd as they fought with each other more than trying to break into the building. "Useless scum. There will always be people who worship Kira, but those are just honest folk who truly believe Kira is doing some good. The ones trying to break in here are just common thugs. This is little more than a diversion for them." Rester looked at him. "That doesn't make them any less dangerous sir." "I know," Near said as he started picking up his action figures, "But not to worry. We'll simply use L's Legacy and the Anti-Kira Protestors we hired. I'd say now's as good a time as any to try that little trick." He, Rester, Gevanni, and Lidner started getting into riot gear.

* * *

As the III watched, from the sky above the SPK's headquarters came a whole stream of something green and papery. The crowd attempting to break into the building looked up. It soon became apparent what it was. _"It's... MONEY!"_ The crowd quickly broke into a mob as they scrambled to gather as much as they could. "What is all this?," Matsuda asked. "L's Legacy," Light said, "An evacuation protocol for the SPK. The first step is releasing the remainder of L's inheritance." Kisuke was flabbergasted. _'He's planning on escaping in the chaos. Still, there's no way he can escape Demegawa's cameras.'_ But Demegawa's helicopter seemed to be moving erratically. _"Over there pilot, down to the left where the money is coming from."_

Thinking quickly, Kisuke turned on another news station. _"A literal downpour of money has been released into the crowd outside the unmarked building, causing pandemonium among the rioters. We're now seeing police moving in. They're a welcome sight in the midst of all this chaos."_ _'Near is planning on escaping with the police,'_ Kisuke thought,_ '__B__ut I can't tell the others to watch for him or I'll look suspicious. I'll just have to keep an eye out.'_ But as the police, all dressed in riot gear, left the building, Kisuke couldn't catch a glimpse of them. Light smiled. _'Look all you want. Even the keenest of eyes wouldn't be able to tell that one of those riot cops was being carried on piggyback.'_

* * *

Later that night, III had gotten word from the SPK that they had reestablished their secure connection. Kisuke thought to himself. _'It's inevitable that Light or one of the others will give Near full disclosure __of the case so far. The only question is, what's the next step? As it stands, it's too dangerous for Misa to have the Death Note any longer. Everything's unraveling, and I can't risk her life again. I'll send her a message. It's time for someone else to be the Hand of Kira. The only question is, who to pick.'_ He started searching the various Pro-Kira websites until he found someone. _'This one looks promising. Yes, I think he'll be perfect. Just the man I need.'_ He sent Misa the message. _'Misa, it's time for you to be a normal woman again. I can still be with you and be Kira. In fact...'_ He brought a small black box and opened it. Inside was a simple silver ring.

* * *

The next day, Light sent Aizawa and Mogi to check out Misa and Kisuke's apartment. He wanted to make sure whether or not Misa could be hiding a Death Note there. "Light sure has eased into being the new Deputy Director," Aizawa said, "I guess he was always meant for the position." He rang the doorbell to the apartment. After a bit, Misa opened the door wearing a frilly, and rather skimpy, pink two-piece outfit. "Mocchi, Monchichi, it's been far too long." Aizawa was a little flabbergasted. _'Well, she can't be hiding the notebook on her wearing that, so no need to search her.'_ He cleared his throat. "We received word that there be explosives planted at L's place of residence. We think it's a prank, but decided to check it out anyway."

"Oh no!," Misa said, "Is Kisuke alright?! I'd better call him!" "Uh, that won't be necessary," Aizawa said, "Kisuke's fine, but he's very busy, so he doesn't want anyone to call him." Misa nodded. "I see, he just doesn't want to worry about me because he loves me too much." Aizawa and Mogi began searching the apartment, starting with the bedrooms and working their way out. When it was clear the Death Note wasn't in the apartment, Aizawa said, "Looks like it was a prank, but to be safe one of us will stay here and look after you. Mogi, you head back and I'll stay here." "Huh?," Misa said, "I'm with Monchichi instead of Mocchi?" Aizawa blinked. "You don't trust me at all?" Misa grabbed a pillow off the couch. "No, but you're just not Monchichi without your old hairstyle. You're not cute anymore." Mogi stifled a laugh. "How about I stay here with Misa?" Aizawa grumbled. "Fine..."

* * *

Back at III, the group was waiting for Aizawa and Mogi to return. _'Those two can search all they like,'_ Kisuke thought, _'But they won't find the Death Note.'_ Light checked his watch. "Kira's Kingdom is on. Matsuda, tune it in." Matsuda nodded. The show's intro seemed a lot more glittery than usual. "That's new," Yu said, "Is Demegawa trying to draw in more people with pizzaz?" Demegawa appeared on screen, sitting in a small chair and wearing white priest robes. _"Greetings, loyal worshipers of Kira. I am Demegawa, the voice of our god. Behold!"_ As Aizawa came in, he saw a construction project on the TV.

"What's this?," he asked Light. "Seems Demegawa let money get to his head," Light replied. _"This is the new Kira's Kingdom, which shares its name with our program. Construction is going smoothly, but we require more donations from our loyal viewers. Donations will be accepted starting at the million yen mark, so if you truly believe in our god, send your donations to the following address."_ As the address appeared an screen, Yosuke couldn't help but groan. "That's so tacky. And this whole thing just sounds like a scam." "I agree," Matsuda said, "It doesn't look like Demegawa is working to Kira's benefit anymore."

Kisuke narrowed his eyes. _'Demegawa... You've gone greedy. I should have known better than to trust someone who thinks of ratings more than anything else. If this keeps up, he'll only wind up pushing people away from Kira. I have no more use for him, but I can't do anything in my current position.'_ Light looked over to Aizawa. "By the way, did you find anything?" Aizawa shook his head. "Nothing in their bedroom, and we searched the whole apartment just to be safe. Mogi is staying with Misa to keep an eye on her." Light nodded. _'Then if anything happens, I have a good idea who will be behind it.'_

* * *

Teru Mikami was in his office. He was a young man with shoulder length black hair and matching eyes behind a small pair of reading glasses. He wore his typical black business suit. "So this will give me the power of my god," he said as he held the Death Note that had been given to him. **"That's right,"** Ryuk said. Mikami smiled. "Then let's make the deal, just as my God asked me." Ryuk smiled, and the deal was done. With the TV turned to Kira's Kingdom, Mikami opened the Death Note. He watched as Demegawa stood in front of four individuals hidden in darkness. _"I will now introduce the leaders I have chosen to serve our lord Kira."_ The light's came on, and Mikami could see their names clearly. He raised his pen.

"_The first chosen is-"_ "Delete!," Mikami said as he wrote the first name. The man immediately died of a heart attack. Shocked, Demegawa said, _"We... will unite with our god and work with him..."_ "Delete!" Mikami wrote the next name, killing the next individual. Again, he wrote two more names. "Delete! Delete!" Scared for his life, Demegawa cowered in the back of the set. _"Save... Me..."_ Mikami walked up to the Death Note and wrote down Demegawa's name. "And... Delete!" Demegawa dropped to the ground dead. "Now those fools will no longer use Kira for their selfish ways. Thank you, shinigami. With this power, I can serve my god faithfully." Ryuk chuckled.

* * *

The team at III stood dumbfounded. "Unbelievable," Mitsuro said, "Kira went and killed all of them." Kisuke closed his eyes. "I'm not surprised, considering how Demegawa was acting out of Kira's will. Still, this is horrible." Light narrowed his eyes. _'It's Mikami. It has to be. Thankfully he's not as dangerous as Higuchi was, mostly because of how predictable he can be.'_ Kisuke smiled to himself. _'Teru Mikami. I remember seeing him on Kira's Kingdom trying to reach out to Kira. It was clear from hearing him talk that he worshiped Kira as a god. Beyond that, he knows Kira's will. He would recognize that he had been chosen to wield Kira's power based on his faith alone. Mikami, you are worthy. Now you will be the Hand of Kira.'_

Next chapter: Selection

"Even without obtaining ownership, memories will return just by touching the Death Note."

**Mikami is crazy if you ask me. I'm surprised he's never made any top 10 lists for crazy anime characters. Anyway, read and review.**


	32. Chapter 32: Selection

******Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"If a Death Note is owned in the human world against the god of death's will, that god of death is permitted to stay in the human world in order to retrieve it."

Chapter 32: Selection

At III, Yu and Yosuke were going over a diary left by Mikami on one the many Pro-Kira websites. "So this is Mikami," Yosuke said, "The man Light thinks Kira chose as his proxy. I gotta say, I think he may be on to something." Yu nodded. "It's an audio diary, so we should listen in." He clicked the file. Mikami's voice played over the recording. _"My name is Teru Mikami. I am a man who despises evil in all it's forms. It all began when I was still in elementary school. Every school has it's bullies, and no one seems to appear to control them and protect the weak. So I took it upon myself to help those who were being bullied. Naturally I got my fair share of bruises and cuts for my trouble, but the effort was still appreciated, and soon the whole class banded together against the bullies."_

"Sounds like something from a fairy tale," Yosuke said. _"Middle school had much of the same, but this time things were different. Instead of the gratitude I had received as a child, the victims would become participants, and even those who stood by would be influenced by evil. Even my own mother, who had once been my greatest supporter, told me that the world wouldn't always work the way I wanted it to. I felt alone, with no allies to aid me. Then one day, four of the worst delinquents from my school lost control of their car and died in the resulting crash. The crash had also claimed the life of one bystander, my mother. At first I was terrified, but then a thought occurred to me. These deaths could benefit the world in ways we could not expect. It didn't take long for my classroom to become a place of peace and joy."_

Yu frowned. "Did he never consider getting the attention of the teachers or principal? That's what I would have done. His sense of right and wrong may be good, but it's still childish." _"As I grew, so did my sense of justice. I soon enrolled in To-Oh University's law department, and I began to see the world in ways I couldn't as a child. There will always be evil in this world, and that evil must be deleted. The closer a delinquent grows to adult-hood, the less likely it is that they can change their ways. A funny thing soon began to happen however. After I became a prosecutor, whose job is punish evil-doers, the people I had judged as being evil began to die, some almost as soon as they were judged."_

"What do you think he means?," Yosuke asked. Yu shrugged. _"It began with the trial of a man who had killed two people, a husband and wife, in the course of robbing them. The defense attorney who was my opponent was good enough to get his client off on a manslaughter charge, but has the defendant was being led out, he suddenly collapsed from a heart attack and died. Something inside me knew the implications of this. It was divine justice. Soon enough more and more criminals, many of them from my own trials, began to die of heart attacks. I soon learned that God was responsible, and God's name... Was Kira!"_

"So it's the same trial Misa mentioned," Yosuke said, "She did say the prosecutor had a strange grin on his face." _"For years I watched the news as Kira continued his work. There were times when he paused, but always he would return. I saw Kira as God, as divine judgement punishing those that are evil. I soon began to frequent places I knew God would be watching, and then... It happened. God recognized me, and saw me worthy of sharing his power! He's knows I know his will, and can carry it out just as he could! With this power I have gained, I will delete all the evil of this world, and serve my God faithfully!"_ That was were the diary ended. Yosuke leaned back in his chair. "What do you think?" Yu put a hand to his chin. "It's unclear from this whether or not Mikami has a Death Note. But Light seems certain, and he's never been wrong before."

* * *

Mikami continued to write names in the Death Note, chanting "delete" with every name he wrote. When he finished the whole page, he placed down the pen. "Hm, God hasn't made any effort to contact me. He must be in a position where he cannot move freely. But this is a crucial time for him. As necessary as it was to kill Demegawa, someone must act as the Voice of Kira for the people, to spread God's word. If God is unable to do it himself, I'll just have to take the initiative. As it happens, I think I know just the person to talk to." He picked up his cell phone and dialed a certain number. "It's Mikami. I have a favor to ask. How would you like to be the new Voice of Kira?"

* * *

Matsuda walked into III holding a newspaper. "We have a new development in the case. Turn on NHN." When Kisuke did so, he got the surprise of his life. Kiyomi Takada, now a anchorwoman for NHN, was on screen. _"Welcome to NHN. It is my pleasure to announce that I, Kiyomi Takada, have been chosen by Kira to be his new spokesperson. From this moment on I will be conveying his message to the world."_ Kanji looked over to Mogi. "You don't have to say it," Mogi whispered, "We both know that's the woman Kisuke was dating in college." Kisuke was deep in thought. _'Hm, I wonder what Mikami was thinking. It won't take the others long to make the connection between me and Kiyomi. Having said that, it's not a bad choice. Given our history, I never would have chosen her myself.'_

Once Aizawa heard from Mogi about Kiyomi and Kisuke, he and Light walked out of the meeting room. "I don't think Kisuke could have done this," Aizawa said, "It would be too suspicious of him to chose an ex-girlfriend if he were Kira. Plus, there's no sign that he's been in contact with her for the past four years." Light nodded. "I think we can be sure this the work of Kira's new proxy. I'm still not convinced Kisuke is in the clear yet." They walked back in as Kisuke stood up. "Listen you guys. I was thinking maybe we could use the fact that Kiyomi is Kira's new spokesperson to our advantage. You see, I used to date her in college, before I met Misa."

Kanji looked at him. "So, what are you thinking?" "Right now," Kisuke said, "The police are officially in favor of Kira. The members of the police force working for III are seen as rogues who are in opposition of him and joined both to hide their identities and stop Kira. I still have Kiyomi's number. So, I'll call her up and tell her that I've recently joined the police, but I won't mention that I've joined III. With any luck, we can convince her to aid us in the investigation. You see, we talked about a number of things when we were still dating, and when the topic of Kira came up... Well, let's just say I got the impression that she worshiped Kira. And if she thinks that what we're doing is to Kira's benefit, she's bound to assist us."

* * *

Kiyomi was at her desk when her phone rang. Her eyes widened when she saw the number. "Hello?" Kisuke came over the phone. 'Hey, Kiyomi. It's been a while. I heard the news recently. Since it's been so long, I was wondering if we could get together tonight. That is, if you're not too busy.' Kiyomi smiled. "You wouldn't have called if you didn't think I would unavailable." Kisuke laughed. 'I guess you're right. And, sorry for not contacting you since college. I've been busy. But it seems fate has found a way to bring us together again. That and our jobs.' "What do you mean?," Kiyomi asked. 'Well, you see,' Kisuke said, 'I recently joined the police force.'

Kiyomi was surprised. She knew the police were no longer pursuing Kira, but never imagined Kisuke would have joined them. "I see your point. I guess a meeting tonight would be okay, but only after my broadcast is done." 'Good,' Kisuke said, 'I'll rent us a hotel.' Kiyomi chuckled. "But I heard you were currently dating Misa Amane. Won't she get suspicious of this?" 'It's alright,' Kisuke replied, 'Misa's not really my type. She's too... Unintelligent to be my partner.' Kiyomi's breath caught in her throat. _'Is he suggesting what I think he is?'_ 'There's something important I need to tell you when you arrive,' Kisuke said, 'See you then.'

* * *

Kisuke hung up his phone. Of course he had been lying when he told Kiyomi that Misa wasn't his type. Sure she could come as annoying, but that was just her way of doing things. And she was far more intelligent than her appearance and personality would suggest. Not to mention the fact that he would come home to see her regularly so she wouldn't worry about him. In fact, now that she no longer had her memories of the Death Note, it was more important than ever that she not worry. Still, he had to make Kiyomi believe he was considering leaving Misa. _'I dated her in college to make myself look more like a typical student, but I never had any feelings for her, even before I met Misa. As it is, I can use Takada as a means of communicating with Mikami. I'm sure he'll know what to do.'_

* * *

Mikami was in his private office, considering the current situation. "I had chosen Kiyomi as Kira's new spokesperson for a reason. I ran across her by chance at a debate program where she was the host. For the most part she was fair and impartial, until the topic turned to Kira. I spoke with her afterward. She hates crimes and social evils with a passion, and it's clear she admires Kira. More than that, she thinks along the same lines as him. She's more than worthy of being the Voice of Kira. And more importantly, she's the only way God can contact me. After tonight's broadcast, I'll contact her. I need to hear the voice of my God at least once."

* * *

Kisuke was waiting in the hotel for Kiyomi. Earlier, Aizawa and Ide had planted hidden cameras and wiretaps so that every word said in that room could be heard. Kiyomi's recent broadcast worried Kisuke. _'Mikami is working too fast. He's just implied that he will start killing off lazy people. That could push III and the SPK into immediate action. With any luck, I can contact him while speaking with Kiyomi, and get him to slow up on his actions.'_ Just then, the door opened and Kiyomi stepped in. Kisuke had set the atmosphere to be as romantic as possible. Putting on his best smile, he said, "I missed you..." The look on Kiyomi's face was priceless. Kisuke chuckled. "Sorry, it's just that it's been a while. Please, have a seat."

As Kiyomi sat down, she and Kisuke sat in silence for a few moments. Kiyomi could barely think of where to begin. _'He's grown so much, and gotten so much more handsome. Is that why he chose Misa over me, because he knows he could have any girl he wanted?'_ Just then her phone rang. "Excuse me," she said as she pick it up. Kisuke's eyes narrowed. _'No doubt it's Mikami.'_ Kiyomi spoke into her phone. "Hello?" The person talking used a voice filter. '**It's Kira.**' Kiyomi gasped. "Kira? Oh..." She tried to cover her mouth, but saw Kisuke raise his eyebrow. '**Are you alone?**' "No," Kiyomi said, "I'm with a friend." '**Is it possible for me to speak with him?**' Kiyomi lowered the phone. "He says he wants to talk to you." Kisuke nodded. "Alright..."

He took the phone and spoke into it. "Hello?" '**Who am I speaking to?**' Kisuke thought quickly. He knew he couldn't say he was Kira with all the wiretaps, so instead he said, "What's that? Five pages on December twenty-sixth?" There was a gasp on the other end. '**You're... You're God!**' Kisuke could barely keep from smiling. _'I knew you were smart enough to figure it out Mikami. Now I just hope you can keep this up.'_ "Can you prove you are Kira?" '**Turn on Sakura TV!**' There was a TV in the room, so Kisuke turned it on. On Sakura TV, a man in white priest robes, likely Demegawa's replacement, was hosting a new program. _"We will draw Kira back to our noble program at any-"_ But before he could finish, the man died of a heart attack.

Kisuke closed his eyes. _'Good work Mikami. I knew I was right to choose you. There was no mistake in __my selection.'_ He turned the TV off and walked over to the dresser. On a piece of paper, he wrote that he was being forced to remove the cameras and wiretaps. 'I understand,' Aizawa said over his hidden transceiver, 'We'll cease surveillance on my end.' After Kisuke removed all the equiment, he waited for a minute, then turned to Kiyomi. "Looks like we're alone now. So I'll tell you what I came here to tell you." He closed his eyes. "I am Kira." Kiyomi's eyes widened. "You... You're Kira?" Kisuke nodded. "The man you were speaking to was one of my loyal followers, whom I've deemed worthy of sharing my power."

Kiyomi started crying tears of joy. "All those years ago, I couldn't help but admire you. Not only for your achievements, but for your humility in the face of your shortcomings. And I've always admired Kira. I believed he was changing the world for the better, ridding it of all evil. And now... Now I find out you're Kira." She walked over to him. Kisuke smiled. "Kiyomi," he said as he embraced her, "Join me. Together we can remake this world. And I..." He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. "I will make you the goddess of this new world." Kiyomi became flustered but happy. "Of course. I will follow you wherever you go." Kisuke smiled. _'Kiyomi. I know I can make use of you. I've already chosen my goddess years ago, but for now I can give you a beautiful lie.'_

Next chapter: Scorn

"In that case, if there are other Death Notes in the human world, the gods of death are not allowed to reveal to humans that Death Note's owner or its location."

**I wanted to make it clear that Kisuke prefers Misa over Kiyomi. I'm not sure from watching the anime how Light felt in that regard. Anyway, read and review.**


	33. Chapter 33: Scorn

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"In the event that there are more than six Death Notes in the human world, only the first six Death Notes that have been delivered to humans will have effect."

Chapter 33: Scorn

At III, the group was looking over everything they had so far. Kisuke was in midst of pondering his next move when Near came up over the monitor. _"Greetings III and L. I just thought you should know, the SPK along with myself have arrived in Japan. We hope that by doing this, we can lure Kira out of hiding. Right now there are four members, including myself. I hope we can work together closely in the near future."_ Kisuke frowned. He didn't know it, but the SPK had been secretly moved to the top floor of the III building. _'He's confronting Kira head-on just like L did. Come to think about it, this whole thing has been a battle between me and L from the start. The fight has simply shifted to his heirs. If things keep going like this, I may need an escape plan...'_

* * *

Light and Yu met with Near at the SPK meeting room. Near was crouching on the ground surrounded by his toys. "He almost looks like a mini-L," Yu said. Light nodded. Near turned around to look at them. "Greetings, Light Yagami and Yu Narukami. It's a pleasure to meet the man ultimately responsible for the creation of III, as well as the true second L." Yu blushed. "I didn't do much. Yosuke's the one who got our first investigation started." Near smirked. "But he wouldn't have had a starting point without the strange power you wield." Rester looked confused. "Strange power, sir?" Near nodded to Yu, who walked up to one of the monitors and put his hand through it, causing the screen to ripple like water.

"This power was given to me by the goddess Izanami," Yu said, "I don't what she planned for me to do with it, but I ultimately used it to defeat her. However, this power is not limited to just me. Anyone with a Persona can do the same thing." Light nodded and demonstrated that he too had the power to pass through TVs. Near clapped his hands. "Very nice. Speaking of Personae, I believe these unusual beings protect you from those who have the shinigami eyes, even shinigami themselves." "They protect us from having our names revealed," Light said, "I don't know if it goes beyond that." Near opened a box and dumped out several Lego figures. "Either way, that gives you an advantage over Kira. Speaking of which, who is currently acting as the voice of L?"

"That would be Kisuke," Light said. Near picked up a figure with a white shirt and a felt pen. As he wrote on the figure, he said, "Right now, Kisuke Kitamura is the voice of the second L. I also believe he is the original Kira. For now we'll refer to him as L-Kira." He picked up a black figure and started writing on that. "We also know there is someone out there acting as a proxy for Kira, the one currently using the notebook. We'll call him X-Kira. Judging from his killing pattern, he's made the eye deal." He placed the figures on the ground between a female figure. "We know that L-Kira and X-Kira cannot communicate directly." Yu nodded. "We already know they're using Takada as a go-between for communication." Near nodded. "Exactly. Now, we have two options to deal with them."

He pulled out a toy gun. "Option one, we arrange to have both L-Kira and X-Kira eliminated, and confiscate the notebook." He fired at the two figures. "However, that's an option we will never use. Although killing them both will stop all the murders, I feel this is one case where the end will not justify the means. Besides, that's not how I work. L would never have done something like that, and neither will I." Light smiled. "I can see why you were the first choice to replace L. And, to be honest, I've been suspicious of Kisuke since he first got involved. He and I think along similar lines, with the main difference being that I now live in the real world." "I know," Near said, "I heard about the dream. Before your trip to Inaba, there is a seventy-five percent chance you could have become Kira. After the trip, however, it dropped considerably to a mere two percent."

* * *

Kisuke was having another meeting with Kiyomi. After their first meeting she had agreed to cooperate with the NPA, not knowing that they were currently working with III. Right now, only the wiretaps were active, as Kisuke had suggested the cameras be turned off in case Kira contacts Kiyomi again. Kisuke sipped his coffee and looked at Kiyomi. "So, I heard on the news yesterday that you receive a large amount of fan mail." Kiyomi nodded. "Yes, it averages two-hundred letters a day. But of course I don't have enough time to look though all of them. Just the ones from Kira mostly." Kisuke wrote something down on a piece of paper. "I think you should look through more than just that. For your own sake at least."

He handed the note to her. It read, "Keep calm as you read this note and the one's that follow, don't let anyone hear your reactions." Kiyomi looked at Kisuke, confused. "The SPK has begun to make its move," Kisuke explained, "You need to be careful about your actions. If you only accept messages from Kira, it will look suspicious. Maybe you should even make a few demands of your own to Kira." He handed another note to her. "You shouldn't act as just a spokesperson, your voice must heard by the people." Kiyomi looked at the note, which read, "I have a different job for T. For now, I want you to act as Kira." Kiyomi nodded. "I... Understand. I'll do it."

* * *

In his office, Mikami received a call from Kiyomi. "Yes?" 'I've just spoken with Kira,' Kiyomi said, 'He's left me with some specific instructions. You are to send me a letter that I can easily recognize. In it you will leave five pages of the notebook. Until I receive it, you are to continue your work punishing criminals. Once I have received the letter, you will only write names on a fake notebook. Make one that is as close to the real thing as possible. Send me any names you plan on writing, along with their pictures, and I will write them in the pages I have received.' "Very well," Mikami said, and he hung up. _'God must have some plan in mind. I'd best not question him.'_ Carefully, he tore the required number of pages from the back of the Death Note.

* * *

Near and Light were in the SPK office. Near had sent Lidner, who was a former CIA agent, to pose as one of Kiyomi Takada's bodyguards. "I remember Kiyomi from college," Light said, "She approached me hoping to get a date with the Freshman Representative, but even then I was still dating Rise." Near nodded. "I've no doubt Kisuke will recognize Lidner as one of the SPK. Fortunately all of us are using aliases, so she's in no danger for the time being." He turned to Light. "Tell me, if you were Kira and you needed a proxy to stand in for you, who would you choose out of all the people in the world?"

Light turned the monitors to NHN, just in time for Kiyomi's program. "Take a look for yourself." Mikami was on the program, and was speaking about Kira. _"We must remember Kira's teachings, and teach our children about the goodness and righteousness of Kira. Above all we must remember never to do any wrong. Kira will not tolerate any crime, no matter how small it may seem."_ Near's eyes widened. "I see... If L-Kira is Kisuke Kitamura... Could X-Kira be Teru Mikami? Is that how it was in your dream?" Light nodded. "And the best part is, Mikami will be easy to follow. However, keep in mind that he may be using a fake notebook." Near started playing with his hair. "I see. Thanks for the heads-up."

* * *

"I'm grateful Kisuke allowed me to start my career again," Misa said as she and Rise walked through NHN, accompanied by Mogi and Inoue, "But I still think I should have been the most popular girl at the East-West Pop Music Festival. I mean, Takada is nothing compared to me, or you for that matter." Rise smiled sheepishly. While Misa still had her memories of the Death Note, Kisuke had asked her to quit her job as an idol so she could devote more of her time to her work as the Second Kira. Now that her memories were erased, she decided to plan her big comeback, and Kisuke had agreed that was a good idea. "You really shouldn't be such a prima donna," Rise said, "Right now you're the opening act for the pop music festival, and that's a pretty big deal."

Just then, they saw Kiyomi walk on by with her four bodyguards, including Lidner. Misa smirked. "That idiot Takada. She has no idea that Kisuke is just using her for his own investigation." Mogi, a little worried, whispered to her, "Don't say things like that. You could wind up dead." "I'm not too worried. What's she gonna do, send her bodyguards to beat me up because of one little comment?" Takada removed her glasses, then scoffed as she walked off. "I thought so," Misa said. Rise was surprised. "That was surprisingly mature of you." Misa smiled at her. "I'm not gonna let her get to me. I know Kisuke loves more than anything, so what do I have to prove? I'm gonna let Takada be the one to make a fool of herself."

* * *

Rester watched as Near fiddled with some of his Lego figures on a Christmas tree. "I still remember that one Christmas," Light said, "When me and Rise learned just how much we really did love each other." Rester sighed. "Anyway, I think it's clear that L-Kira and X-Kira have found a way to communicate using Takada, which places Lidner in even more danger." "We knew the risks going into this," Near said, "For now it's important that L-Kira has his attention focused on Takada and Lidner, leaving us open to investigate X-Kira." Rester nodded, and contacted Gevanni. "How goes the tail?" _"Way too easy," _Gevanni said over the monitor, _"He makes no effort to hide himself. He works by the same schedule every day. Totally committed to his role as prosecutor."_

Light smirked. "That guy is way too predictable for his own good. If he is X-Kira like we think he is, that predictability could work against him. Gevanni, make sure you keep a good record of his monthly, weekly, and daily schedules, and keep your eyes peeled for any deviations from his normal pattern." Near looked at him. "You think any deviation on Mikami's part could lead to much-needed evidence?" Light nodded. "If Mikami is X-Kira, he knows how L-Kira thinks and can anticipate his will. If L-Kira needs something done that he can do himself, but can't move freely otherwise, X-Kira would think L-Kira would be unable to act and take action himself."

Near smiled. "I see. Well, you heard him Gevanni. Make sure to take careful notes on Mikami's schedule. I want to know what he does on each day of the month, to the very second." _"Got it,"_ Mikami said, _"I'll avoid direct contact for the time being."_ Near nodded. "One other thing I noticed. Light, you said Kisuke is currently engaged to Misa Amane, who was once suspected of being the Second Kira. It also seems that Kiyomi Takada has taken an interest in him." "That's true," Light said, "And I doubt either of them will betray him. However, he has no real feelings for Takada, and is totally committed to Misa.

* * *

Misa had joined Kiyomi for a private chat over dinner. Lidner was also in the room to make sure Kiyomi was kept safe, while Rise was there to make sure Misa didn't make a fool of herself. "You haven't touched your wine yet," Kiyomi said to Misa. Misa shrugged. "I don't touch anything even remotely alcoholic. Not after Rise somehow got drunk during a trip to a club with her friends." Rise blushed. "Please don't mention that incident..." Rise couldn't remember much from that party, but she had apparently started a King's Game after a few drinks, then dozed off in Light's lap. They were supposed to be soft drinks, but they had been slipped ice cubes made from frozen vodka by Adachi.

Misa knew that Kiyomi wanted to get her drunk so she'd start to act crazy and immature. _'Sorry Kiyomi, I don't plan on giving you that satisfaction.'_ Kiyomi closed her eyes. It was about time to confront her rival. "So, Misa, I hear Kisuke has been very busy on the Kira case." Misa nodded. "Yeah, but he still finds time to visit me every night." "Really," Kiyomi said, "He told me he never has time to come home. Or do you plan on proving otherwise?" Misa smiled. "I shouldn't have to prove anything. I know Kisuke loves me more than anything. If you really want proof, here." She showed her left hand, which had ring on it similar to Rise's engagement ring.

Kiyomi was visibly confused. "When did...?" Misa smirked. "Not too long ago. I plan on announcing it at the pop music festival." She waited for Takada to provide a rebuttal. Kiyomi closed her eyes. _'There's no way Kisuke will go through with this. He promised to make me his goddess.'_ She smiled. "I suppose you're looking forward to seeing Kisuke catch Kira." Misa shrugged. "I'm still on the fence about that. I know it seems strange, my fiancee trying to catch Kira and all, but I've been a supporter of Kira from the beginning. After all, he did punish the man who killed my parents. Or, didn't you know about that?" Kiyomi frowned. None of her tricks were working. _'I didn't think it would be so hard. But I need to stay calm. Kisuke never said anything about her being stupid, just unintelligent.'_

She cleared her throat. "As much as I'd like to continue this back and forth game, it's getting late and I'm obviously getting nowhere. I must admit this much Misa, you're more mature than I took you for." Misa smirked as Kiyomi and Lidner left. "Isn't there a saying somewhere that a good warrior lets his opponent make all the mistakes?" Rise thought about it. "Something like that." She sniffed the bottle. "I don't believe it, this isn't wine at all. It has no smell. The cork is ordinary wood." Misa checked her glass and saw the remnants of some white pills. "That sneak. She was trying to make me look bad by slipping me a sedative." She crossed her arms. "Bitch. I hope Kira turns on her." Rise smiled sheepishly. "Be careful what you wish for."

* * *

Gevanni was on a train car sitting several feet from Mikami. On the other side of the train, Mikami observed a man harassing a young woman. Seeing the man's name through his shinigami eyes, he snapped a picture of the man, and sent it along with his name to Kiyomi. As the train stopped, Mikami wrote the man's name in the fake notebook. He then stepped off the train. Gevanni was about to follow him, when he witnessed the man suddenly collapse from a heart attack. As Gevanni got off the train, he called Near. "I just witnessed Mikami write something in a notebook. Shortly afterward a man who was harassing someone on the train we were on collapsed." 'Interesting,' Near said, 'Possible heart attack?' "I think so," Gevanni replied, "And if that's the case, I think we can now be certain that Mikami is X-Kira."

Next chapter: Vigilance

"The seventh Death Note will not become active until one of the other six Death Notes is burned up, or a god of death takes one of them back to the world of gods of death."

**Yep, I said it. I just called Takada a bitch. Don't worry, she won't be around for much longer. Read and review.**


	34. Chapter 34: Vigilance

**It always gets worse before it gets better, but at least I'm almost done. Song later on in the chapter is "Stand my Ground" by Within Temptation. I do not own it by any means. I would recommend you play that song when you get to that part for the full effect. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"The Death Note will not take effect if you write a specific victim's name using several different pages."

Chapter 34: Vigilance

"Thanks to Gevanni," Near said back at the SPK command center, "We can now confirm that Mikami is X-Kira. Our next move is discover his killing pattern. Our only potential problem is the shinigami." He turned to Yu. "Is it fair to say that the shinigami will be loyal to Mikami?" Yu shook his head. "We actually questioned a shinigami that had possessed Higuchi when he had the notebook. The shinigami who possesses a human who owns a Death Note is under no obligation to obey the human's every command. They only stay with them because they have to in order to keep an eye on the notebook, only leaving either when the notebook is destroyed or the human dies. If a shinigami has a craving for a certain type of human food, however, they can be coerced into doing tasks for the human."

"Okay," Near said, "But will the shinigami at least warn Mikami if it spots a human following him?" Yu put a hand to his chin. "Hard to say. There's no doubt the shinigami would spot Gevanni even from a distance, but it may only warn Mikami if it gets annoyed by Gevanni's presence. We know Kisuke somehow got wind of the FBI agents commissioned by the first L, so I can only assume that the shinigami told Kisuke about the one following him. However, even if the shinigami does spot Gevanni, I can guarantee you it will not tell Mikami what Gevanni's real name is. And to the best of my knowledge, it will not kill Gevanni on Mikami's behalf." Near nodded. "Well, that should lessen the danger to Gevanni."

* * *

Light and Aizawa were in the hotel room where Kisuke and Kiyomi were meeting. Kisuke had requested that the room be swept for cameras and wiretaps other than the ones they would be planting. "I don't get why Kisuke wants all this extra security," Aizawa said, "So far we've only been able to listen in on their conversations via a wire Kisuke is wearing." Light nodded. "I'm also suspicious of what those two are doing behind our backs. I don't like the fact that we can't have cameras in the room." He put away the wiretap detector he had. "Aizawa, I want you to mark some of the notepads we have in the room. Near thinks Kisuke and Takada could be passing notes when we're not looking, and I'd like a little confirmation of that." Aizawa nodded.

* * *

That night, Kisuke and Kiyomi were at their meeting. "I thought you should now," Kiyomi said, "I met with Misa Amane. She said you two had gotten engaged, and that you were seeing each other on a regular basis." Kisuke sighed. Misa had also told him about that little dinner date. _'I guess I should have seen this coming. Still, Misa's recounting of the events shows she's a lot more patient than Kiyomi. I hate this, playing with Misa's feelings. It's worse than actually cheating on her.' _He wrote something on one of the notepads and handed it to Kiyomi. The note read, "Misa had gained power similar to mine and used it to find me. I was forced into letting her help me." It was mostly true, but Kisuke left out the fact that the reason he was forced to was because of Misa's story about her parents.

"You really shouldn't worry," he said to Kiyomi, "Right now you're the only one for me." Kiyomi closed her eyes and smiled. "Is that the best you got? I suppose I can accept that, but from now on you have to prove yourself to me. Otherwise I'll tell Kira about these little meetings." _'And this is why I prefer Misa,'_ Kisuke thought, _'I don't have to prove myself to her at all.'_ He passed her another note. "I was actually thinking about that. You see, I believe it's because of Kira that we can't be together." Kiyomi read the note. The first line read, "Just read the rest of this note aloud during our conversation." Kiyomi nodded and began reading. "Yes, I realize that. I hate it that I have to be his spokesperson because it keeps us apart."

Kisuke smiled. "Personally, while I can see why Kira has been doing this, I find his actions unforgivable. I want to catch him, and it would be great if you could help me. I realize that this means I'll be betraying the police and you'll be betraying Kira, but once he's gone there's nothing stopping us from being together." Kiyomi couldn't help but blush at the thought of being together with Kisuke. She continued reading. "Of course. If it means we can have our future together, I would be happy to aid you in capturing Kira. To be honest, I've always felt like Kira was forcing me to be his spokesperson in the first place." Kisuke grinned. _'It looks like everything is falling into place.'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Light, Near, and Naoto were watching a video of Mikami on his lunch break. "Once Kisuke is done with his meeting with Takada," Light said, "We can confirm whether or not they are passing notes to each other." Near played with his hair. "The evidence is really stacking up. Are you sure Misa no longer has her memories of the notebook?" Light nodded. "I'm fairly certain, but it can't hurt to take her out of the equation anyway. Just to be safe." He looked at the video. "Naoto, can you pick up what Mikami is saying?" One of Naoto's skills as a detective was her ability to read lips, something she learned from a childhood friend of her's who happened to be deaf.

After a moment, she said, "It looks like he's saying, 'Is that you shinigami.' It came right after that peace of paper moved, though it's possible the wind moved it." She noted Mikami's mouth as it moved a few seconds later. "Now he's saying, 'That damn shinigami, he hasn't shown up since he gave me the notebook.'" Near looked at the grim reaper Lego figure he had and tossed it into his toy box. "I think we can assume that the shinigami will not be a factor in all this. I suppose we could see for certain if Gevanni touches the notebook himself, though if it's fake it won't matter if he touches it or not. However, it may still be a good idea to at least get a look at it, to see if Mikami has any patterns in his writing."

* * *

As Aizawa watched Kisuke get in a taxi to return home, he returned to the hotel room and started checking the notepads he had marked. _'I marked four notepads in total, and it looks like two have been removed.'_ He called up Light. "Light, you were right. Marking the notepads was a good idea. I think we can confirm that Kisuke and Takada were passing notes. I've checked it out, and two of the four pads I marked were swapped. The room was untouched since the meeting started, and housekeeping hasn't had a chance to clean up." 'Then we can be certain that either Kisuke or Takada swapped them out,' Light said, 'I'm with Near right now. Make sure Kisuke keeps his focus on Takada and Lidner. If he doesn't pick up on the fact that we're tailing Mikami, we have a shot at beating him.'

* * *

Everything was set up for NHN's big East-West Pop Music Festival, a New Year's Eve celebration event featuring some of the biggest names in music. Misa was to be the night's first performer, with Rise going after her. In fact, Rise had several songs lines up for the evening spread out throughout the program. It was a bide by Yoshida Productions to advertise her new album and see how everyone would react to her new singing style. _'That whole jazzy pop singing was great when I was still in high school,_' Rise thought, _'But__ I think it's time my music reflect my age.'_ As she, Misa, Mogi, and Inoue walked to the music hall, they were stopped by Lidner. "Uh," Misa said, "Can we help you?" Suddenly, Rester appeared behind them. "My apologies Ms. Amane, but we'd like you to come with us." Misa was a little confused. "Rise, tell me you didn't have something to with this." "Not this time," Rise said, "This is all news to me." Mogi placed a hand on Misa's shoulder. "Misa, I think it best that we go along with them." Misa nodded, still a little confused.

* * *

Kisuke watched the monitor, ready to hear Misa's new performance. However, when Kiyomi came out dressed in her kimono, she said, _"I'm sorry to report that Misa Amane, our lead performer, has yet to enter the music hall. In light of this, I'm afraid we have no choice but to skip ahead to our second performance, Ms. Rise Kujikawa."_ Worried for Misa's safety, Kisuke called up Near. "Near, have you heard about this." _"Yes," _Near said over the monitor, _"The SPK is responsible. But don't worry, we haven't kidnapped anyone. Ms. Amane and Mr. Mogi went along with this voluntarily. If you don't believe me, you can ask them yourself."_

A video of Misa and Mogi appeared on screen. Kisuke breathed a sigh of relief, then spoke in the mic. "Mogi, it's L. Near said you let yourselves be taken voluntarily. Is that true?" Mogi nodded. _"Misa was a little reluctant at first, but I was able to convince her to come along."_ "I see," Kisuke said, "All right then. As long as it was voluntary, I have no objections." He turned off the mic. _'For a second I thought Misa might have been in danger again. Thank goodness that's not the case. Still, I don't like that Near had her and Mogi detained. It means he's planning something big. I'd better prepare a counter-measure.'_ Matsuda sighed. "Too bad we won't get to hear Misa-Misa sing. Oh well, we can still cheer on Risette."

* * *

Rise came onstage, wearing a beautiful black dress. "Hello everyone. I wish to say I hope Misa is alright. She and I have been good friends for many years, and I know many of you are probably upset that she is currently unable to perform. I hope that perhaps my singing can help to make up for it. Before I begin, I have an announcement to make. As many of you know, I have been dating a young man I met four years ago, one I fell in love with after he saved my very life. Well I'm pleased to say that he has recently proposed to me. At the end of the month, I will become Mrs. Rise Yagami. I hope I won't break too many hearts with this decision, and I hope that you all continue to support me. Because while my name may change, to the world I will always be Risette."

She was amazed at how many people cheered for her, applauding her decision. Smiling, she said, "And now, I will sing for you a new song from the album I plan to release in the near future. I hope that you will understand the meaning behind it. I give to you my new song, 'Stand My Ground'." The music began, a strange mix of orchestra and rock. When the music hit a certain point, Rise began to sing:

_I can see_

_When you stay low nothing happens_

_Does it feel right?_

_Late at night_

_Things I thought I put behind me_

_Haunt my mind_

_I just know there's no escape_

_Now once it sets it's eyes on you_

_But I won't run,_

_Have to stare it in the eye_

_Stand my ground, I won't give in_

_No more denying, I've got to face it_

_Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside_

_If I don't make it, someone else will_

_Stand my ground_

_It's all around_

_Getting stronger, coming closer_

_Into my world_

_I can feel_

_That it's time for me to face it_

_Can I take it?_

_Though this might just be the ending_

_Of the life I held so dear_

_But I won't run,_

_There's no turning back from here_

_Stand my ground, I won't give in_

_No more denying, I've got to face it_

_Won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside_

_If I don't make it, someone else will_

_Stand my ground_

_All I know for sure is I'm trying_

_I will always stand my ground_

_Stand my ground, I won't give in (I won't give in)_

_I won't deny (I won't deny)_

_no more denying, I've got to face it_

_won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside_

_if I don't make it, someone else will_

_Stand my ground, I won't give in_

_no more denying, I've got to face it_

_won't close my eyes and hide the truth inside_

_if I don't make it, someone else will_

_stand my ground_

As the song reached its conclusion, Rise was pleased by the roar of the audience cheering and applauding her performance. She bowed and walked off-stage. "Well done Rise," Inoue said, "You should get ready for the next performance." Rise nodded. _'Looks like no matter how old I get, or who else may come along, I will always have people who love my work. Light was right. I'm so glad I listened to him.'_

* * *

Gevanni snuck into the locker room at the gym where Mikami was working out. From monitoring Mikami's activities, Gevanni knew he worked out at the same gym every Monday and Thursday at exactly nine pm, regardless of holidays. Gevanni became a member of the gym and learned that this had been going on for the last four years since Mikami signed up. He also learned that the locker rooms had no surveillance equipment. Finding Mikami's locker, Gevanni picked the lock. Inside was Mikami's briefcase. After getting it open, Gevanni found the notebook he was looking for. He picked it up and started looking around. _'No sign of the shinigami, though there is the possibility that this is a fake notebook. Still...'_ He got out a miniature camera and took snapshots of each page.

* * *

At the SPK communication center, Yosuke looked at the pictures Gevanni had taken. In front of him were Mikami's files and case notes going back four years. Since Yosuke had a talent in handwriting analysis, Near thought him the perfect choice for confirming whether or not Mikami had been the one writing in the notebook. "Looks like we're in luck," Yosuke said, "That's definitely Mikami's handwriting in the notebook." Near smiled. "And I think I may have already figured out a pattern. Going from when Mikami killed Demegawa, it appears we have an equal number of full pages to days elapsed. That means Mikami must be filling out one page per day. Looks like our little plan will work."

Next chapter: Malice

"But the front and back of a page is considered as one page. For example, the Death Note will still take effect even if you write the victim's surname on the front page and given name on the back."

**Tell me what you think of including a scene of Rise singing. And be sure to read and review.**


	35. Chapter 35: Malice

**Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"In the world of gods of death there are a few copies of what humans may call a user guidebook for using the Death Note in the human world. However, the guidebook is not allowed to be delivered to humans."

Chapter 35: Malice

Light and Teddie finished hearing the stories of how Near and Mello first met L. Mello had been just some punk on the street when he was found by a young man who called himself Rue Ryuzaki. At the time, a unknown individual named BB, later known to be Beyond Birthday, was committing a series of murders. He kept leaving crossword puzzles for the police as clues, created and delivered by Mello. Naomi Misora, at the time an FBI agent, was trying to find the detective known as L to solve these murders. She encountered the man calling himself Ryuzaki, who as it turned out was really BB. BB was an almost exact duplicate of L, who wanted to give L a mystery even he couldn't solve and become the world's greatest criminal. Naomi was able to see through the deception, however, and stopped BB from committing suicide. When L saw Mello, he also saw his potential, and had him sent to Wammy House.

Near's story was a little interesting. He was the sole survivor of a village in Thailand that had been ravaged by a man-made plague with ten times the infection rate of the Ebola virus. Whisked off to L's secret headquarters by one of his associates, they soon ran into a young girl whose father had been forced to help make the virus by a group of bioterrorists, and was later killed so he couldn't make an antidote. The bioterrorists quickly learned they were too late, and the girl had something that could lead others to the antidote. When L got news of this, he, Near, and the girl sought out her father's research partner. Near was able to solve the puzzle the girl's father had left, and it turned out there was a reason he had survived. He was able to produce a compound normally only found in unborn fetuses, which happened to be the cure. After L used it to stop the terrorists, Near was dropped off at Wammy House to allow his mind to be put to be good use.

"So what about the girl," Teddie asked. Near played with his hair. "Funny thing. After it was all over, she and L fell in love." Teddie and Light looked at each other. It was kind of hard for either of them to picture L being romantic. "Yeah," Near said, "She wasn't the most normal of girls. Anyway, Gevanni's done his part. Are you sure this plan will work?" Light nodded. "As long as Mello is able to do his part. And don't worry about Kisuke's associates knowing your real name." Teddie closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were bright yellow. Mello's shadow appeared behind him and possessed him. "I've managed to get the hang of that," Teddie said as his eyes returned to their natural blue color, "Your shadow will keep you safe until you get hit by anything that could kill you. It's the only way for you to survive." Mello nodded. "Guess I'll have to be careful until that happens."

* * *

At III, Kisuke got a text message form Kiyomi. _'Seems Mikami's confirmed it. Good. Now I just have to wait.'_ He didn't have to wait long. _"L, I think it's time we meet face to face. There's something important I must tell you about the Kira investigation."_ "I see," Kisuke said, "I'll not ask what it is, just yet, but I will express my concern regarding this development. After all, don't you suspect me of being Kira?" _"That's true,"_ Near said, _"And this will be my one and only chance of proving it."_ Kisuke closed his eyes. _'He's right. We both no doubt have a final plan in place. After this, it'll all be over. Either he wins, and Kira is branded as a criminal, or I win, and Kira becomes justice and reigns as the god of a new world.'_

"Very well then," Kisuke said, "How shall we do this?" _"First,"_ Near said, _"I'd like everyone currently tasked with the Kira investigation to be there. My team, as I said, consists of four members including myself. We will be accompanied by Mr. Mogi, but not Ms. Amane. She will be released and will not be told where we are going. Once you have confirmed her release, you can make your way to our meeting place."_ Kisuke nodded. "Okay, other than myself and the Inaba team there are four other detectives currently assigned the Kira case within III. That of course includes Mogi. As for the Inaba team, I must ask that they be left out of this in the event of the worst-case scenario." _'Mikami's eyes are useless against the Personae, but he does know the names of Light and his friends. If they die, it will only prove I am Kira.'_

"_Let's compromise on that," _Near said, _"We only have the men from Inaba join us, minus Teddie. Since the notebook cannot kill non-humans, things would be too easy if he showed up."_ "Very well," Kisuke said, "What about our meeting place?" A picture of a warehouse showed up on the monitor. _"This is Daikoku wharf. The warehouse you see has been abandoned for some time, and is known as the Yellow Box. I recently had it purchased for our purposes. As for our meeting time, we'll meet in three days on the twenty-eight of January, at one pm. Oh, and be sure to have someone other than L bring the notebook. We can have Mr. Aizawa confirm it's the real thing. Don't worry, we won't make any attempt to steal it." _ Kisuke smiled. "Alright. That sounds good." He leaned back in his chair. _'It's a little early to say I've won, because we aren't at the finish line yet. But I can at least say I've gotten a considerable head start. Near had obviously been following Mikami, but I expected that.'_

* * *

Kiyomi thought about her recent meeting with Kisuke as she was driven off to NHN. She and Mikami had one last task, to kill Near. As the car she was in pulled up to the front, someone in a red sports car drove up to the entrance and fired off a smoke grenade. As Lidner led Kiyomi into the building, another person on a motorcycle wearing a tinted helmet pulled up. "Hang on," he said, "It's not safe anywhere around here, not even in the building. I'll take her to safety." Lidner realized it was Mello. "It's alright Ms. Takada, you'll be safe with him." Kiyomi nodded. As they drove off, Lidner called to have two teams follow Mello, and the rest to track the assailant. Once Mello saw the black cars following him, he turned down a narrow alley and handcuffed Kiyomi. Confused, she said, "What are you doing?"

* * *

Hearing what had just happened on the news, Kisuke was for once worried about Kiyomi. _'This can't be Near's doing. It's not his style. Besides, he promised us we'd meet in three days. I doubt he'd do anything to jeopardize that. This has got to be Mello's work.'_ Just then Near came in over the monitor. _"I take it you've just seen the news. I'm certain that Mello's behind this, but you probably already knew that."_ "I did suspect as much," Kisuke said, "I hope this won't ruin our plans all of a sudden. I hear Ms. Takada's entire escort team as well as the police are searching for the assailants." Light suddenly got a text message. "It's from the police unit. Takada's guards found one of the assailants, and opened fire on him without provocation after he had surrendered." Kisuke winced. _'Jeez, it's getting to the point where they're not even waiting for Kira anymore.'_

* * *

As Mello drove down the alley, Kiyomi realized who he was. _'This is the man Kisuke warned me about. His real name... I think it was Mihael Keehl, also known as Mello.'_ Mello drove into a parked truck and had got off. As Kiyomi got off as well, she saw Mello take off his helmet. Pointing a gun at her, he said, "Take off everything you have and put it in that box. You can use this to cover up." He held up a blanket in his other hand. Scared for her life, Kiyomi started to undress. When she was down to her bra and panties, she said, "Can I... Can I have the blanket before I remove the rest?" Mello thought for a second. "Sure." He tossed it too her. As Kiyomi removed her bra, she secretly took out a piece of the Death Note and held it in her hand. Once all her clothes were in the box, Mello sealed it up with duct tape and took it out.

He drove for a bit, then stopped to drop off the box on another truck. As he continued driving, he dropped Kiyomi's cell phone on the other seat. _'She probably snuck out a piece of the notebook and is controlling my actions. I really hope Teddie was right about this.'_ As soon as he parked inside a crumbling old church, he felt the tell-tale chill that indicated his shadow had protected him. After opening the door to the truck, he made the usual sounds and faked a heart attack, positioning himself in such a way that Kiyomi would think he had died. He carefully turned his head away from the window looking into the truck's storage vessel just in case. When Kiyomi heard the sounds, she took the wrench from the bag on Mello's bike and shattered the window, reaching into the cabin to grab her phone.

* * *

Kisuke got the call on his cell. 'Kisuke...,' came Kiyomi's voice, 'Please... Come save me...' _'She sounds scared,'_ Kisuke thought, _'Not that I blame her.'_ "Calm down Ms. Takada, and remember what I said. I told you that you could be in real danger as the spokesperson for Kira. Do you remember what I told you to do if something should happen?" Kiyomi seemed to choke on her words. 'Yes... I... I did it... I made survival my first priority... I did everything he said and didn't struggle... And... I did it...' _'Then Mello's dead,' _Kisuke thought, _'One less obstacle.'_ "Ms. Takada. Remember what I told you to do afterward. Right now I need to know where you are right now so I can come and get you."

Kiyomi sniffled. 'I'm not sure exactly, but I saw a street sign that said we were heading for Nagano. I think I'm in a building somewhere. Please... Come find me...' "Stay calm Ms. Takada," Kisuke said, "We're on our way." He hung up. "Aizawa, Ide, you're with me. Matsuda, I need you to try and track that truck." Matsuda nodded, and the rest of them rushed off. Once at the car, Aizawa and Ide got in the front, with Kisuke in the back "I got the location by tracing the call," Kisuke said, "Head to Karuizawa by the freeway." Aizawa nodded. As he and Ide were focused on the road. Kisuke secretly got out his trick watch and began to write.

* * *

Mikami got the call from Kiyomi. 'T, I need you to send me as many names and photos of criminals as possible. I'll send you my e-mail address.' "Got it," Mikami said. He hung up the phone. _'If Kiyomi is calling me like this, it means she's managed to kill her kidnappers, but is in a position where she can't move. If that's the case...'_ After he finished sending the names and photos, he picked up his briefcase. Turning to his secretary, he said, "I'll be going to the scene of the crime for this case." He got in his car and drove off, followed carefully by Gevanni. _'The direction he's going in,'_ Gevanni thought, _'It's outside of his normal route, and nowhere near where the recent crime scene is. This may be the deviation Light told me to watch out for.'_

* * *

Lidner drove up to the church were Mello told her to pick him up. She was shocked to find the place was on fire. "Hey!," Mello called out to her, leaning against a wall, "Over here!" Lidner breathed a sigh of relief. "I swear you have more lives than a cat." Mello chuckled. "Good I thing I took the time to open that door before the flames started. Let's get out of here before Kisuke shows up. I don't want him to realize I'm still alive." As they drove off, Kisuke and the others drove up. "What the hell?!," Aizawa said in shock. Kisuke fought back a grin. _'Just as I wrote it. Kiyomi Takada, suicide. January twenty-sixth, twenty-thirteen, two-thirty-two pm. Burns to death after setting fire to everything around her, including everything she wrote __on. No offense Kiyomi, but you became a liability.'_

Next chapter: 1/28

"It is perfectly okay for gods of death to read the guidebook for him/herself and teach humans about its contents, no matter what the content may be."

**Two chapters left. Read and review.**


	36. Chapter 36: 1-28

**Well, it's almost over, and I have two more chapters to write. This has been getting pretty fun. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"The human whose name is written in this note shall die."

Chapter 36: 1/28

The Inaba team watched as every news station in Japan and elsewhere in the world featured their own segments as to who should replace Kiyomi Takada as Kira's spokesperson. "It's disgusting," Kanji said, "They all act like Kira will be around forever. And they're treating Takada's death like a joke, like she never even existed." Yu nodded. "Well, if everything went as Light and Near planned, that will all end soon." Near soon came up on their com-links. 'We've confirmed that Kisuke and his detectives are ready for the meeting. Light, are you sure you want to go through with this? One tiny slip-up, and your wedding plans with Rise will have to be canceled.' "I knew the risks going into this," Light said, "And it's high time I finally exorcised my personal demons."

'Very well,' Near said, 'In that case, Mr. Narukami, Mr. Yagami, Mr. Hanamura, and Mr. Tatsumi, what say we put an end to this case once and for all?' The four of them nodded. "Hard to believe," Yosuke said, "That our little group sprouted from a need for simple closure. Who could have imagined we would come this far? Honestly, if you went back five or six years ago and told me I was to become a part of one the biggest investigative agencies on the planet, I'd probably think you were crazy." Yu smiled and nodded. "We've come a long way since first finding out about Mayumi Yamano's death. It almost feels like things are coming full circle. After all, Ms. Yamano worked for NHN too." Light closed his eyes. _'Once again, I'm at an end that still feels like the beginning. But this time, I have a feeling a different future awaits me.'_

* * *

The task force detectives and Kisuke met the morning of January twenty-eighth. "I've already called Misa," Kisuke said, "And have confirmed that Near has released her. Now all we need is to call up the Inaba team and get the pass-codes for the vault containing the notebook." He closed his eyes and thought to himself, _'Whether I win or lose today, I need to make sure I survive. If I win, I'll have to leave the country, and arrange to have Misa join me. If I lose somehow, I'll just have to give up ownership of the Death Note for good. Either way, I know that if I die, Misa will lose the will to live and kill herself. Whatever it takes, I won't let that happen.'_

Aizawa stepped in front of the vault and began inputting the pass-codes. _'Izanagi-no-Okami, Nobunaga Oda, Susano-o, Suzuka Gongen, Amaterasu, Rokuten Maoh, Kanzeon, Kamui, Yamato-Takeru, and Hippolyta. The names of the Inaba team's Personae. No one outside of III would be aware of these names, and would be unable to guess them in right order.'_ He opened the vault and took a look at the Death Note. _'The killer notebook. The Death Note. The human whose name is written in this note shall die. This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's name in mind when writing his or her name, therefore people sharing the same name will not be affected. If the cause of death is written within forty seconds of writing the name, it will happen. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next six minutes and forty seconds.'_

Aizawa placed the Death Note in a special harness. _'Maybe it's just me, but this notebook almost feels heavy from all the lives it's claimed. And we could very well be next.'_ Satisfied, Kisuke contacted Near. "We're all set. Aizawa will the one carrying the notebook." _"Very well,"_ Near said, _"To be honest, I'm __relieved you decided on that. Had you chosen anyone else, I might have become suspicious. I've already contacted Deputy Director Yagami and his associates. They should be on their way momentarily. I'm glad you all agreed to this. I'm certain this will be our final battle with Kira, and there may interesting surprises in store."_ Kisuke nodded. "I'm sure there will be. We'll see you at the warehouse." He closed his eyes. _'It's all come down to this. This is the true final battle. My victory over L was merely half-time. Now the game ends at last.'_

* * *

The task force arrived at the warehouse known as the Yellow Box. Aizawa checked it out first to make sure the SPK and the four Inaba members were there. As he walked to the meeting room, Kisuke thought to himself, _'This could be the beginning of a perfect new world of Kira, so long as everything goes as I predicted.'_ Inside, he saw Near along with the SPK members, with Light, Yu, Yosuke, and Kanji to one side. Near was surrounded by several hand-carved finger puppets resembling the various people involved with the investigation at that time. He was also wearing a cartoonish L mask. Kisuke chuckled. "That looks pretty ridiculous."

Matsuda got a little angry. "Come on now! You're wearing a mask at a time like this?" Near put his hand on the mask. "No need to shout. I'm just taking the necessary precautions. There's a strong possibility that Kira may be here, and has seen all our faces except mine. If it's all right, I'd like to wait an hour... No... Make it a half-hour before we begin. Just to make sure none of us are being controlled." A the minutes ticked away, Kisuke thought to himself, _'This is just an act. He just wants to buy time before Mikami gets here. And he knows Mikami will come here. It's all going according to plan.'_ After a half hour passed, Near went ahead and took off the mask. "Well, I assumed he wouldn't get here early, but I wanted to be safe just in case."

"Hold on," Matsuda said, "Is someone else coming? Who?" Near held up the Mikami puppet. "X-Kira. The proxy for the real Kira who has been using the notebook. He's the reason why, up until today, the killings haven't stopped regardless of Kisuke, the person I think is Kira, being unable to move freely. As you can see there is only one entrance into this room, the door you came through. That door is also the only way anyone could see in here from the outside. When X-Kira gets here, he will begin writing our names in the notebook, including my name, as well as the names of the Inaba team members who have joined us." "Hold on," Ide said, "Where would he even get them? We know that the Personae they have protect them from the shinigami eyes."

Near smiled. "I'm aware of this. However, I suspect the real Kira may have told X-Kira their names, which is another reason why I believe the real Kira is at least a member of III. Other than Light Yagami, the Deputy Director of the NPA, none of them are in law enforcement, and are merely private investigators in addition to their day-jobs. So it would be difficult to look them up even if Kira suspected someone in law enforcement was working against him. And don't worry about what I said earlier about X-Kira writing all our names in the notebook. I've set things up nicely so that none of us will die. So if X-Kira opens the door, just let him on in. And if he simply peeks inside, act like he's not there."

Suddenly, Near's eyes turned to the door. "He's here..." Kisuke adjusted his glasses and moved his eyes to the door. Sure enough, he saw Mikami peek through. Earlier, Mikami had been told that Kira would be the only person whose name was visible without his life-span. _'As God told me, the Inaba team have their Personae protecting them. But I know their names. Yu Narukami, Light Yagami, Yosuke Hanamura, Kanji Tatsumi. Since I can't see their names, they're out. The others are...'_ He looked to the SPK and saw Near's name as Nate River. The other members real names were Anthony Carter, Stephen Loud, and Halle Bullook. He then looked to the task force. _'Touta Matsuda, Shuichi Aizawa, Kanzo __Mogi, Hideki Ide, and...'_ When he saw the Kisuke's name without his life-span, Mikami's eyes widened. _'God!'_

Light narrowed his eyes when he heard the familiar voice chanting, "Delete, delete, delete, delete..." "He's here," Light said, "Don't bother pulling out you're gun Matsuda. He won't be killing anyone." Matsuda looked confused. "How can you be sure?" Near held up a tiny replica notebook. "I had the notebook modified. The person who has been killing for Kira has been using one page per day, so I simply had Gevanni replace the page X-Kira would use today, as well as all subsequent pages, with ordinary notebook paper." Finally, the chanting stopped. Kisuke adjusted his glasses again. _'All as I expected. I knew Near would catch on to Mikami's pattern. This is why I had him create a fake notebook, and hide the real one away while sending whole pages to Takada. But now it's time to reveal the real notebook.'_

He turned his head to the door. "You there, behind the door." Mikami snapped out of his reverie. _'God!'_ "It's all right," Kisuke said, "You can come in. If you've already written our names down, there should be nothing to fear." Mikami carefully slid the door open. He looked completely disheveled, and his glasses were missing. Light couldn't help but feel pity for him. _'Seeing him from the other side, it's easy to see how far he's fallen.'_ Kisuke adjusted his glasses. "I'd like to know how long it's been since you wrote down the first name." Mikami grinned as he checked his watch. "Thirty seconds. Thirty-one... Thirty-two... Thirty-three... Thirty-four... Thirty-five... Thirty-six... Thirty-seven... Thirty-eight... Thirty-nine... Forty!" Kisuke lowered his head. "I win Near."

Next chapter: New World

"The human who uses this note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell."

**Has Kisuke really won? Find out next chapter. Read and review.**


	37. Chapter 37: New World

**Big surprise near the end, followed by a pretty good finale. Disclaimer: I don't own Death Note or Persona 4.**

"All humans will, without exception, eventually die."

Chapter 37: New World

A minute passed, then two. Nothing. Matsuda stopped covering his head. "We're... We're all still alive." Mikami looked positively flabbergasted. "But why...?" He turned to Kisuke. "God, I did everything you asked me! So why aren't they all dead?!" Kisuke simply hung his head. _'I see. So there is something I've forgotten along the way.'_ Before Mikami could make another move, Kanji quickly restrained him and handcuffed him. "Commander Rester," Near said, "The notebook please." Rester took the Death Note from Mikami and handed it over to Near. After looking at the names, he turned the notebook around so everyone could see. "I can confirm that the first four names written are the names of the SPK members. The next four are the task force detectives, followed by the Inaba team members. The only name not written..."

Kisuke adjusted his glasses. "Is mine. I won't hide it. Not after Mikami just called me God, and after declaring my own victory. Looks like somewhere along the way I screwed up. So yeah, I'm Kira. But before we move on, could you at least tell me how you were able to evade my plan?" Near nodded. "To be honest, you almost won. We wound up doing everything you expected us to do, and altered the fake notebook. But when I said I had the notebook modified, I was also talking about the real one. In the case of the fake, we replaced part of it. But with the real one, we replaced the whole thing." He pulled an exact duplicate of the Death Note out of his shirt. "This is the real notebook."

He set in on the ground, and Kisuke could see that it was an almost exact copy. "I don't know which of you made that, but I guess it was good enough to fool even Mikami." Near smiled. "Thanks. Gevanni does have a talent with these things. He was able to get it done in less than a day." Kisuke adjusted his glasses. "Well that explains why no one's died yet. But how did you even find the real notebook?" "It was because of Takada's death," Near said, "You see, Mello was actually helping us voluntarily when he kidnapped her." Gevanni stepped forward. "I've been following Mikami for the past month. He only goes to the bank on the first of every month. So when he took a second trip three days ago, I thought it was suspicious. This was the only time he ever seemed concerned someone might be following him."

Kisuke closed his eyes. "His safe deposit box." "That's right," Near said, "And inside we found the real notebook, along with this name." He picked up the Death Note and pointed out Takada's name. It had her dying one minute after the time Kisuke had written. "Of course," Near said, "Since I've touched this notebook, I could see the shinigami standing behind you." **"Oh,"** Ryuk said, **"I didn't realize. To be honest, up until now I was sure you were going to die. Nice to meet you, I'm Ryuk."** "Hello Ryuk," Near said, "I'm Near." He held up the Death Note. "I see some pieces missing from the pages. Tell me, if you were to write someone's name on just a piece of the notebook, would they still die?" Ryuk chuckled. **"Oh yeah, doesn't even matter how small the piece is, as long as you can write the person's full name."**

Kisuke pulled of his watch and tossed it to Near. "That watch has a secret to it. Pull the middle knob four times in less than a second." Near did so and the secret compartment popped out. "So, this is how you were able to kill Higuchi four years ago. And how you were able to secretly kill Takada. I guess not telling Mikami about this watch was your biggest mistake." "No," Kisuke said, "My biggest mistake was killing Lind L. Tailor, the man L had stand-in for him during that media broadcast. That was the only time during this whole thing I ever lost my temper. If I hadn't done that, I could have continued my work uninhibited." Just then, Mikami stabbed himself in the stomach with his own fountain pen.

Kisuke sighed as he sat down on some nearby steps. "He must have realized the game is over. I'd imagine he's devastated at seeing his God defeated, even more so at seeing him admit defeat. So, what now?" Near considered it. "Well, we were supposed to have Kira put to death. However, you seem to have acknowledged your defeat. I was going to have these notebook burned anyway, and without them we can't prove you were Kira." Ryuk smirked. **"Once those Death Note's go up, Kisuke's memories of them will be gone. Too bad, I was starting to enjoy it here. But hey, at least I relieved my boredom, even if only for a little while." **"Near," Rester said, "If we're letting Kisuke off the hook because of his lost memories, then who do we say is Kira?"

"We can push the blame onto Mikami," Near said, "It's true enough, and he's too dead to care right now. We'll also say he hired Higuchi as the Second Kira, and killed him when he was no longer useful." Ryuk turned back to Kisuke. **"Well, it's been fun, and I've definitely had some laughs. Guess it's good-bye forever this time, huh?"** Kisuke nodded. "Yeah... I suppose so... Oh wait! There's something I never figured out. How did Raye Penber survive? I remember writing his name as well." "You can thank Teddie for that," Light said, "Since he's the Shadow King, he can have the shadows of others possess people to protect them from certain death. He also the same trick on L and Mello." Kisuke blinked, then giggled. "Oh man, your friends are full of surprises Light."

* * *

Misa was waiting at the hotel room that the SPK had set her up in. _'Kisuke... I hope nothing terrible happened to him.'_ Just then, she heard a knock on the door. Going to answer it, she smiled widely when she saw Kisuke standing there. After Near burned the only two Death Notes left in the human world, Kisuke's memories of the Death Note vanished, leaving Kira gone forever. "Kisuke!," Misa said as she embraced her fiancee, "You're safe..." Kisuke nodded. "Yeah. We managed to catch Kira. Weird thing, but for some reason a lot of the investigation is just a blur to me." Misa giggled. "Maybe you're just growing absent-minded. So, who did Kira turn out to be?" Kisuke walked into the hotel room and sat down. "A prosecutor named Teru Mikami."

Misa put a finger to her lips. "I think I know that name... Oh yeah, he was the prosecutor at the trial of the person who killed my parents." Kisuke nodded. "Yeah, but it turns out he went power-mad. If not for Near pulling out a little trick, Mikami could have killed us all." Misa started crying. "What's wrong?," Kisuke asked. Misa hugged him. "It's just, I remember this dream I had once. I don't remember everything about it, but I do remember killing myself because someone I loved died. I'm just glad... That it didn't happen in real life." Kisuke smiled as he returned her embrace. "I'm glad too. I love you... Misa."

* * *

Ryuk took one last look at the happy couple. _**'One day I'll write Kisuke's name in my Death Note, but that won't be any time soon. It looks like he and Misa have many long years ahead of them. Whether they'll be happy years or not, I can't say. But I do know one thing. The time I spent with Kisuke was the most fun I've had in centuries.' **_And with that, he flew off back to the shinigami world. The following days brought joy and peace in wake of Kira's defeat. Under the title of L, Light had passed a number of new laws for the criminal justice system to combat the inevitable rise in the crime rate. The SPK formally joined with III, and Mello and L came out of hiding to join as well. The world began to wonder why it ever thought Kira's way was right. A new world had come, not quite perfect, but definitely changed for the better.

* * *

Yu returned to the Amagi Inn, where his wife Yukiko was waiting. As soon he got in, he heard a call of, "Daddy!" In ran Yu and Yukiko's two-year-old daughter Mayumi, who had Yu's hair color and Yukiko's eyes. Yukiko walked in after her daughter. "You're safe... Thank goodness." Yu smiled at his wife as he picked up little Mayumi. "Of course I am. It all worked out. Kira is gone, and now the world can start to heal." Mayumi hugged her father. "So Daddy, does this mean you and Mommy will be staying longer?" Yu smiled. "You bet sweetie. It looks like the future is looking bright. All we have to do is make sure it stays that way."

The End

"After they die, the place they go is Mu. (Nothingness)"

**I have may have put "The End" down, but it's far from III's last case. Stay tuned, cause after my next story, I plan on having a bunch more adventures with Yu, Light, Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie, Naoto, and Labrys. And who knows, you may even see some more familiar faces. So keep it tuned to my channel. For my next story, I'll be taking over for ZaleAcorn's "A Second Chance", a Death Note and Legend of Zelda crossover (To find it, look under Anime/Manga in the crossover section of the main page, then look under Death Note, then look again under Legend of Zelda). I'll explain why once I start putting it up, but just know he gave me permission to take it over. See you next time.**


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